


With Great Power

by Angel_of_the_Axis



Category: Naruto
Genre: Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spider-Man Fusion, Canon-Typical Violence, Creepy Shimura Danzou, Emotional Baggage, Everyone Has Issues, Gangs, Gen, Genius Uchiha Sasuke, High School, Implied/Referenced Bullying, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Missing Persons, Missing in Action, No Uchiha Massacre, One-Sided Attraction, Orphan Uchiha Sasuke, Orphan Uzumaki Naruto, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Depression, References to Illness, Sasori is a stoner, Sasuke as Peter Parker, Secret Identity, Shimura Danzou Being an Asshole, Sick Character, Slow Romance, Slow To Update, The Akatsuki aren't evil, Uchiha Itachi is Dead, Uchiha Izumi Lives, Uchiha Izumi Tries Her Best, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, Uzumaki Naruto is So Done (with Jiraiya and Tsunade dancing around each other), Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, Will those losers just kiss already? Science still can't answer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_of_the_Axis/pseuds/Angel_of_the_Axis
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke is trying his best to get through school and be a vigilante superhero after tragically losing his brother. While he searches for the person responsible, the rise of crime sets a new enemy on his radar. How far would he be willing to go to protect those he loves, all the while getting to the bottom of both his brother's death and the 5-year-old unsolved case of the murders of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto? (Spider-Man AU.)
Relationships: Deidara & Sasori (Naruto), Haruno Sakura & Sasori, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Hidan & Kakuzu (Naruto), Jiraiya & Tsunade (Naruto), Konan & Nagato | Pain, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Uchiha Izumi & Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. The Average Day

**Author's Note:**

> Uh, hey. Long time no see. This isn't an April Fools' joke, I promise you (I've already got another plan for that in the works), but rather an idea that's been brewing for a while in my mind. I was going to make Sakura the main character, but I figured it'd be more interesting to let Sasuke take the reins for once.
> 
> As per usual, this will be multi-chaptered, but I must warn you that updates will be sporadic (much like MFMN). This will have SasuSaku in it, but it'll be a slow-build rather than an already established pairing.
> 
> This will be my first time doing a chapter book anything Marvel-related, so please be patient! I've been a long-time lurker and I figured now was finally the time to start.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

He'd woken up a full ten minutes before his alarm this morning, which relieved him immensely. He really couldn't afford to replace the next one he broke due to his strength, and he didn't want to have to rely on Izumi to wake him up anymore.

Fifteen-year-old Uchiha Sasuke sat up in the rickety single bed, scrubbing his eyes tiredly. Only five hours again. He really had to learn to pace himself.

He blinked blearily, looking around his little bedroom. The calendar above his desk read September 1, which meant it was going to get much colder soon. He sighed, shaking his head and swinging his legs around the edge of the bed to stand. He yawned, the skin across his ribs stretching almost painfully with the movement as he rose his arms above his head. He scratched his stomach absentmindedly as he walked to the closet near the door, grabbing a wide-collared navy tee and faded jeans. He exited the room and headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

After a hot shower, dressing, brushing out his teeth and hair, and making sure the bruises from the night before were covered, he headed to the kitchen for breakfast. A note and some cash on the table made him sigh once more. Picking it up, he skimmed through its contents quickly before setting it back down to grab some cereal from the cupboard.

As usual, Izumi had left for work early. She had left him enough money for lunch that day in case he needed to buy a snack and promised to be home in time for dinner tonight... but knowing her, she'd probably miss it again.

He clunked the bowl down on the table with a little more force than intended, and the loud noise made him wince. It was tough getting used to all of the changes, but his family was tenacious to a fault; he prided his heritage on the fact that he was able to adapt so quickly. At least Itachi would have gotten used to it.

His mood soured at the thought of his older brother, but he willed away the anger and focused instead on pouring the milk on top of the mound of cereal and digging in. It was bland -- since when was it not? -- but he ignored it, used to it by now. He ate it quickly to soothe his rumbling stomach, and once he finished drinking the milk, stood and put everything away, dropping off the bowl and spoon into the sink where he washed them out and put them onto the drying rack.

He wiped his hands on his pant legs and grabbed his backpack from under the table, going through the homework from the night before. He'd completed it right away, of course, so that he'd have more time for his extra activities. He nodded, satisfied that everything was there, and grabbed the prepared lunch from the fridge, as well as a banana from the fruit bowl to eat while waiting for the bus. He put on some socks and tennis shoes (giving it a grimace when he realized that the heel was ripped some), grabbed the keys from the table, and left the apartment, locking up.

He jogged to the bus stop, sitting down on the bench and letting out a huff. The girl sitting there already chuckled quietly, catching his attention as he began to peel the fruit.

"You're earlier than usual," she commented with a tired smile, looking up from her book.

"Woke up ten minutes before the alarm this morning," he mumbled between bites of banana.

"Nice." She nodded approvingly. "Wish I could do that. I always wake up late."

He shrugged, and the two fell into a familiar silence as she turned her attention back to her book, locks of soft bubblegum-pink falling into her face. She didn't bother to tuck them behind her ear this morning, probably too occupied with studying.

Haruno Sakura, one of his neighbors and fellow 'nerd' who was obsessed with getting into medical school. She had a tendency to slip into the background unless she wanted to be noticed, as he'd observed of her. She was in some of his more advanced classes so far, and he deemed her pleasant enough to work with. Much better than the majority of their peers, who either wanted to pick on him for being an orphan or ignored him entirely.

He finished the banana and dropped the empty peel into the trash bin, fishing out his earbuds and iPod to pass the time faster. He cycled through the songs before he settled on Linkin Park and relaxed against the bench, shivering a little when the cold metal seeped through his jeans.

After a few minutes, he saw the bus approaching and paused the music, tucking his earbuds into his pocket and getting to his feet. He glanced over at Sakura, who furrowed her brow at the page before putting a bookmark in and shutting the book, awkwardly adjusting her backpack with one hand before hugging it protectively to her chest. She gave him a tiny smile, and he gave her a tiny nod.

The bus was only stage one of the battle. All he had to do was find a spot at the very front and ignore the bullies until he got to school.

As the vehicle pulled up to the curb and the door slowly slid open, he went in front of her and climbed the stairs, immediately frowning in distaste at the raucous shouting from the back rows. The driver hardly paid them any mind as she turned and shouted in her guttural voice to sit down and shut up.

He sidled down a few rows to a completely-empty seat and waited for her to slip in next to him. She pulled off her backpack to set it down between her legs and opened her textbook again, craning her head down to skim the pages.

In these closer quarters, his nose picked up the stink of weed coming from her sweater underneath the overwhelming stench of Axe. His face remained impassive, but when he looked away the quick darting of her eyes to and from him clued him in that she knew. He never said anything out of politeness's sake, and she never snitched when she caught him coming back late after a particularly-awful patrol.

The bus rumbled, and they pulled forward, causing her elbow to jab him in the side, right on the largest bruise. He hissed slightly in pain, and she looked up in worry, an apology already springing to her lips.

"I-- I'm so sorry, I'll scoot over," she said, giving him an extra few inches of space until her left side was practically hanging off of the end of the row.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he mumbled in reply before shoving in his earbuds again. He directed his gaze to the window as they drove, letting his thoughts wander while the music drowned everything else away.

* * *

The day was uneventful as always, save for Naruto loudly making his presence known. Sakura's presence always tended to fade away as soon as the blond approached him, which puzzled him, but he brushed it aside. As usual, the bullies tried to heckle him, as usual, he ignored them to the best of his ability. Classes were the same, lunch was the same -- save for Naruto's lunch, which had an extra orange packed (probably from his guardian). Afternoon classes were all the same, even PE, which had them running laps and playing some soccer that day. As usual, some of the dickish ones tried to trip him up or kick the ball right at his face, and as usual, he dodged their attempts while still playing the usual 'clumsy, skinny Sasuke' act. He did walk away from class with a slight bloody nose from some kid jabbing him right in the ol' honker, but it wasn't anything to worry about; it cleared up by the time he settled in to his last class of the day.

When classes let out, he decided to take a quick trip to the corner store for some chicken for dinner. Even though Izumi was probably going to keep working past seven, he felt a little guilty for being so dismissive of her as of late. It wasn't her fault that Itachi had died, it was his for being so selfish.

He let out a breath through his nose, stuffing his free hand into his pocket as he carried the bag with the chicken. He could've gone to McDonalds like he had last week, but he had a feeling that Izumi was getting sick of fast food. It was the least he owed her, especially for her promotion.

He glanced up at the bright blue sky and frowned. Perhaps he could do a longer patrol before she got home. He could cook, do a little scouting, then be back before she did so they could eat together.

He nodded to himself, decided, and walked home faster. He reached the apartment building and climbed the stairs to the third floor, where he noticed Sakura's weird cousin hanging around their apartment door.

He wrinkled his nose. At least he wasn't smoking again.

The redheaded man noticed him and gave him a slow smile. "Hey, you're Sakura's friend, right?"

"Suppose so," Sasuke answered tersely, giving him a glance as he passed.

"Kinda rude to ignore your elders like that," the man called, but Sasuke didn't give him another backwards look.

That man was interesting to say the least, and downright weird at most. Every time Sasuke crossed paths with him, he was smoking on the balcony with a few of his weird friends in the gang that his brother used to be a part of. It hurt a little to see Kisame, his brother's 'partner', sitting with the group as they lounged around and drank beers. The last time he'd seen Kisame with his brother was his fourteenth birthday before eighth grade had started. The man had given him a BB gun with a few rounds of BBs, which Itachi had kept away until that damned field trip almost a year later.

At least the gun had come in handy after all. Maybe someday if he ran into Kisame while in costume, he could thank him. Or maybe not; the man was as sharp as his teeth seemed to be, and he'd connect the dots in five seconds flat.

He unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his backpack. He shut the front door behind himself and set the shopping bag on the kitchen counter, pulling out the chicken and grabbing a pair of scissors. He washed his hands and cut open the package, grabbing a cutting board to place the breasts onto. He washed his hands again and some assorted spices and seasonings for some tandoori marinade. He knew they still had some coconut milk left in the fridge, so he grabbed that and some olive oil too. He mixed the spices and liquids together, poured it into a Ziploc freezer bag with the chicken, then put it in the fridge after making sure each breast was coated.

He washed his hands again, disposed of the package, wadded up the plastic shopping bag and put it with the others under the kitchen sink, then went to get ready for patrol. He made sure to use the bathroom before going to his room. He undressed quickly before putting on a thong (as anything else would stand out against his spandex bodysuit, and he absolutely didn't want anyone poking fun at his visible shorts lines.) He powdered his thighs (chafing was a sonuvabitch) and next came the deep gray bodysuit, followed by some rubber boots and his webshooters. To complete the outfit, he pulled on the mask fitted with blacked-out welding goggles and his other backpack, a gray-and-white one with a little spider-themed pin on the back (a present from Sakura).

He opened his window, cautious of anyone in the balconies nearby, before sticking to the wall and shutting it. He shot a web at the neighboring building and flung himself away, relishing in the cold wind biting at the mask.

This would be an easy patrol.

* * *

The whole circuit around the city was quicker than usual, with less criminals out on the prowl. There was a fire near a warehouse which he rescued a little girl from, which was unusual, but he let it go. He was nearly home when he heard raucous laughter coming from an alley.

"Finally, some action," he mumbled to himself as he hid nearby, peeking in. "What...?"

In the alleyway were a few thugs and a familiar teenage girl in a baggy black hoodie. The group had cornered her into the wall, and by the looks of things they were a few moments away from beating her into paste. Light pink hair spilled out from under the hood and he fought the urge to sigh.

"Hey, fellas," He called out instead, causing them to look over their shoulders at him in surprise, "I dunno who you're looking for, but I think you've got the wrong person."

"Spider-Man," The leader snarled under his breath as he picked up a bat. "I figured we'd be seein' ya here. Get 'im, boys."

He rolled his eyes at them, dodging out of the way of their fists and kicking them to the ground, webbing them to the concrete. He made his way from man to man until he got to the leader, who he punched into the wall. While he was still dazed, the boy webbed him there and grabbed the girl around the waist, hoisting her into his arms. She clung to his body quickly as he shot a web at a nearby building to carry them away to safety.

As soon as they were safely atop a nearby building, he let her down and she whipped out her phone, calling the police. He waited patiently for her to end the call, and when the phone was in the back pocket of her skinny jeans, he commented, "You get swindled again?"

"Yeah, fuckin' Hidan tricked me into being a messenger," she huffed, pulling the hood back to reveal the beginnings of a nasty bruise on her bony cheek. She glowered at the ground, stuffing her hands into the hoodie's pockets.

He shook his head wearily. "Does Sasori know?"

"What do you think?" She snorted dryly, sitting down with her legs dangling over the edge.

He sat with her, watching idly as a police car pulled up to the alleyway. He frowned when Izumi hopped out of the driver's seat, pulling a gun on the thugs.

A nudge from Sakura made him look over. She was smiling tiredly again, premature wrinkles and dark bags making her look older than she was.

"She still working hard?" She asked softly.

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as Izumi and a few other officers led the cuffed druggies into the back of the car. "She seems to think that just because she got promoted from meter maid she has to work extra." He paused for a moment before rolling his eyes. "It's so annoying."

"I'll bet," she mildly replied, giving him another soft nudge. "Sounds like someone else I know."

He didn't respond to that, instead following the car with his eyes until it hooked a right a few streets up and disappeared from sight.

"Was this your last stop before getting home?" She asked, a little louder this time.

"Yeah," he replied, turning to look at her as she pulled out her phone to check the time. "You need help getting back?"

"It would be nice," she agreed with a light chuckle as he got to his feet, pulling her up. "I'd rather not run into any more of those dicks and lose more than my fair share."

He nodded again, pausing so that she could wrap her arms around his neck before he hoisted her up again, taking a running start and leaping off of the side of the building. He shot another web and soared above the traffic, mindful of the girl's tight grip and her face buried into his shoulder.

As soon as he touched down onto her balcony, she peeked over his suit and gave a shudder.

"You know how much I hate it when you jump like that," she scolded lightly, giving him a little shove as she got to her unsteady feet. She leaned against the railing, giving him a pout. "One of these days I'm gonna be diagnosed with heart complications, and it'll be your fault!"

He waved it off, turning away. "Tell your cousin that you aren't gonna be Hidan's messenger girl anymore. These streets are too dangerous for someone like you."

There was a pause. The mood shifted suddenly, and when he craned his neck to glance at her she was frowning at the ground, arms wrapped around herself.

"You think I don't know that?" Her voice was quiet, yet he could hear it clearly. The hurt in her tone made him turn away again. He hadn't meant to be so brash, but he knew she would continue to forgive him as she always did.

"I have to go," he announced, hopping over the railing to the next balcony over. He gave her a polite wave as she called goodbye before slipping inside her apartment.

He crawled on the wall to his window and went inside, landing on his bed. He pulled off the mask with a deep sigh, massaging his sweaty forehead and attempting to tame his unruly hair.

He had dinner to prepare. He didn't have time to waste feeling sorry for reminding Sakura about the past.

* * *

The evening news played in the background as he cooked the chicken. The broccoli was still steaming and the noodles were being warmed in the pot. He set the table for two, poured himself a glass of orange juice, and watched the news report with a frown.

"--and coming up after this, the rise in crime among the North End," the news anchor was saying. It cut to commercial just as the front door opened, and Izumi called out a weary, "Sasuke, I'm home!"

"Welcome home," he greeted as he turned his attention back to the pan on the stove. "I made chicken and noodles."

"Oh, you're so sweet, thank you," she exclaimed as she walked in.

She smiled and held open her arms for a hug, but he ducked out of the way and opened the fridge. "Do you want orange juice or something else?"

Izumi wilted a little, but her smile was back in place as she went to sit down at the table. "Hm, I think some of that sparkling water would be nice."

He nodded and grabbed her a can. He set it down next to her plate, mumbling a 'you're welcome' when she thanked him.

The two of them served themselves some chicken, noodles, and broccoli, and once they sat down and began eating, Izumi tried to make conversation.

"You would not believe how many calls we got today," she casually mentioned after taking a sip of sparkling water. "I probably spent more time driving than I did standing outside, to be honest. There was this robbery near the North End after lunch break..."

He nodded in reply, listening intently as she talked. He didn't mind hearing about her work, although it still stung a little to be reminded of what Itachi had left behind. He noticed that she grew sad when she mentioned their favorite little cafe near the library, but brightened when the news mentioned what she'd just been talking about.

"The rise of crime on the North Side has been worrying for quite some time now," the anchor was saying, her partner just staring into the camera. "As of today, the death toll has climbed from ten to twenty-three gang-related deaths, and they're only expected to rise."

"Luckily, Spider-Man seems to be helping in his own little way," her partner chimed in with a little smile. "The vigilante was seen at the scene of a fire earlier today, where he saved a little girl from the blaze."

"That Spider-Man," Izumi remarked, fondly chuckling. "Seems like he's always showing up just when we need him. I dunno what Chief Shimura is talking about; I think he's a rather charming man. You'd better be careful around him, though. He could lay you out in no time at all if he wanted."

Sasuke nodded absently, focusing on his chicken. Every time his vigilante alter-ego was mentioned, she would always swing it around to just that.

The rising crime puzzled him, though; the North End was usually more peaceful than this, being comprised of mostly bigwigs and richer folk. The gangs hardly ever tangled affairs there, mostly because of the higher police presence. Why would they suddenly be attacking that part of town?

He shook it off and took another swig of orange juice, tuning out the TV and Izumi's comments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely going with the whole 'wearing a thong under the Spideysuit' thing that Tom Holland brought up. One, it's hilarious, and two, it's an interesting premise.
> 
> Please tell me what you thought of it.


	2. New Information

"Another early start today?" Sakura asked as soon as he flopped down onto the bench the next morning, a tangerine in hand.

He nodded and began to peel the small fruit, glancing over to see her sitting, not with a medical textbook in hand, surprisingly, but with an Algebra II book, as well as a sheet of college-rule paper and a pencil.

He picked off a section and nodded to the page. "Are you working ahead?"

"Yeah," she replied, tucking a strand behind her ear as she leaned forward, scribbling an answer down. "I wanted extra credit to make up for that geometry test I bombed last Friday."

"You got an eighty-nine," he said flatly, eyes narrowing.

"I have to be the best," she defended, giving him a frown. "If I'm gonna get into medical school-"

"You got an eighty-nine," he repeated. "The rest of the class averaged out a seventy-six."

She said nothing to this, only raising her eyebrows at him.

He himself had gotten a ninety-two, one of his lowest scores in the quarter so far, but he hardly cared anymore. He knew he could easily beat out the top contenders, but he didn't want unnecessary attention on top of his reputation of being a nerd. (He was lucky they didn't bother to notice that he'd stopped wearing glasses in middle school after the bite.)

He heaved a tired sigh. "You're taking a ton of classes this year. I really don't think universities are gonna care that you got less than a perfect 4.0 for one quarter."

"Well then you obviously haven't been checking admittance requirements for Ivy Leagues," she shot back, irritation creeping into her tone. "If I'm gonna get into a top-league school, I need to be the best. Otherwise I'll never be able to become one of the country's best. Not like-"

She paused, cutting herself off from finishing the sentence. She looked away, focusing on her book now.

He knew what she was going to say. It had been a sore spot for her ever since middle school.

He was always competing for the best grades with her and Shikamaru, another in their grade. He had been certified as a prodigy early on, causing him to skip third grade when he quit homeschooling. They had grown up together, him the prodigy child and her the average bookworm. Somewhere along the way she completely shut in on herself and studied much harder than anyone else he knew, and by the time they were in eighth grade they were neck and neck for valedictorian of their graduating year. But he'd won it, leaving her the salutatorian and incredibly bitter. Still, she congratulated him and vowed to beat him in high school, and so far, she seemed to be winning that declaration.

Not to mention that she was going to graduate early, just like him. Even though she'd skipped a grade, she wasn't satisfied with staying in high school that long, and with her cousin backing her up, she managed to get the school to let her graduate in two years in opposed to four. How on earth she'd managed to get the school to agree, he'd never know. Still, he had to applaud her diligence.

She was determined; perhaps too determined. Already he had noticed her cheeks had become more sunken in and her clothes seemed to hang off of her even more now than in the summer before high school. Her hands trembled the slightest bit if you focused on them, and she oftentimes fell asleep in the lunchroom. He often had to go wake her up, lest she be late to PE.

"Not taking care of yourself is more annoying than your insistence to be the best," he mumbled, and he knew she heard him when he saw her jaw clench. He pulled out another tangerine from his bag and handed it to her, commanding, "Eat it."

"I'm not hungry," she replied dismissively, but when her stomach rumbled her resolve weakened. She looked longingly at the fruit and then to his face.

He rolled his eyes and sat it down on her book. "I'm not gonna say it again, Sakura."

She stared at it for a moment before shaking her head, chuckling quietly. "If anyone here's being annoying, it's you." Nevertheless, she took the fruit with an even quieter thank-you and slowly peeled it.

He looked away as she ate the fruit. He could run back up to the apartment to get another, but... no, Izumi only went shopping one day out of the week, and fruit was fairly pricey. He shouldn't take more than his fair share. He could just buy something later to keep his strength up. That's what the money on the counter nearly every morning was for, of course. Some of her savings, which didn't make the decision to use it feel any better.

 _"Dammit,"_ he thought irritably, clasping his hands together and resting his chin atop them. The food at school was decent at best, but he had learned on the first day of freshman year that whatever the hell the lunch ladies served them every day and his stomach absolutely despised each other. The last time he'd had what looked like meatloaf, he'd spent the next half hour throwing up in the nurse's office. How much of it was the spider bite and how much of it was the food, he didn't know, nor did he want to find out.

He felt a nudge at his arm, and he looked over to see Sakura handing him half of the orange. She gave him a tight smile. "Take it. I figure you'll need it more than me."

His eyes narrowed at her, but he took the fruit. Of course Sakura would rub that fact in his face. Sometimes it was tiring having to deal with her knowing his secret identity, but at least he was secure in the fact she wouldn't tell anyone. From his experiences with the girl, if you told her a secret and commanded her to keep it to herself, she'd go through hell to keep it to herself. (He found it out the hard way in seventh grade, when he had to inquire about Hyuuga Hinata's feelings towards a certain blond idiot. It took him twenty minutes of probing her, and yet when he walked away he still didn't have a clue. It was also the last time he let Naruto bribe him into doing favors that involved Hinata.)

He put the orange in his hoodie pocket, uncaring about the fact that it was peeled. He'd eat it in class later - the teachers didn't care about whatever he did anymore. All they ever cared about were his grades. Having his last name thrown in his face every time he got less than an eighty got exhausting awfully fast.

Sakura watched him put it away, and when he looked over with a raised eyebrow, she wrinkled her nose and gave him a grin.

"You're so gross," she giggled with a shake of her head.

* * *

Same day as always, same classes, same people. Same dick-wads that decided he was a good target to wale on.

He slipped a piece of his tangerine into his mouth and chewed quietly, the sour-sweet taste overwhelming his tongue. Nobody really cared about you unless you drew attention to yourself in some way. For him, he supposed the reason he was bullied was because of his intelligence. Even when his parents were still alive, there had been kids that didn't have anything better to do than antagonize him for his smarts and family name. Those same kids were even more merciless when his parents were killed. He'd heard just about every insult that came with being an orphan, and at this point it didn't faze him anymore.

That's probably why Naruto became such a close companion. When his parents died, he was ten and angry. He just wanted to be alone, so that he could grieve their deaths in peace, but the second day of class after he went to live with his cousin, his brother, and his brother's girlfriend (now widow), Naruto Uzumaki, class clown and general annoyance, bounced over and introduced himself. Of course, he'd been rude to the boy. He'd snapped at him to leave him be, but Naruto was stubborn as all hell. For days afterward he hounded Sasuke, demanding his friendship in that sunny way he always seemed to live his life.

It was only after Sasuke finally relented and accepted the offer of friendship that Naruto confided his own orphan status. For him, he'd been told that his parents had died of a home invasion when he was a baby. Since he had no other living relatives around, he'd become a ward of the state until his godfather could come and claim him. Ever since, Naruto had been living with his godfather Jiraiya, an eccentric old writer who Sasuke usually caught perving on some of the single mothers of his classmates. He was goofy, though he had a wisdom to him that seemed unfitting of the old pervert. Oftentimes the man slipped extra food for him in Naruto's lunch, his way of caring for the boy. Sasuke had come to care for him too, although his choice in literature was questionable at best and downright fucking awful at worst.

He snuck another piece, glancing over to where Sakura sat a few seats away. Of course she sat directly in front, and right now she was scribbling away at her paper determinedly. She always got the assignment done in class, never after - she claimed she had an easier work environment in class. Comparing a fairly quiet classroom with her apartment, he could understand. A few strands of hair fell into her eyes, and she mindlessly brushed them away with her pencil, a momentary pause before she flipped the page and kept going.

He watched her for a few moments more before turning back to his own page. History was never one of his strongest subjects, though he didn't mind it. He scribbled down the answer to the question and continued down the page slowly. The note on the table this morning said that Izumi would be working some overtime, so he'd have some extra time to finish tonight if he had to.

* * *

"So what's on the agenda tonight?" She asked, hooking her hands under her knees and leaning forward in her spot on the balcony. Her posture was less rigid than usual, and her eyes were half-lidded.

"You're going to take a nap, first off," he ordered, folding his arms across his chest. "As for me, I'm going to the North Side to investigate."

She pouted, scrunching up her nose. "I'm not that tired, Spidey."

"I can tell," he flatly replied. "Where's Sasori?"

"Eh, he's out doin' something with Akatsuki," she shrugged her shoulders loosely, reclining against the chair. "He'll be gone until late, I think."

" _Che_." He shook his head, extending his hand. "C'mon, go take a nap. You look fifteen seconds away from fainting."

"I'm fine!" She protested. She gently smacked his hand away and made to stand up. "See?"

The second she was up on her feet, her eyelids fluttered and she began to fall forward in a dizzy spell. Luckily, Spider-Man was right there, so she fell into his chest, the breath leaving her lips.

His lips pressed into a thin line as she looked up at him. "Clearly."

"That was a false positive," she mumbled, closing her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Sakura," he sighed.

A blush pinked her face as he grasped her shoulders and pushed her up. She scowled at the ground, raising her hands to grip his. Her skin was cooler than usual, and it made his frown deepen.

"Fine," she relented with a frustrated sigh. "Since you're being so anal about it, I'll go take a fifteen-minute power nap. Happy?"

"Make it half an hour and I won't stick around to babysit you," he bartered.

"Fine, deal." She rolled her eyes and pulled his gloved hands off, lingering for a moment before she let go. She went to the sliding glass door and paused, sending him a sardonic half-smile. "Have fun on patrol."

He nodded. He waited until she was inside before flinging himself off the balcony, swinging on a web up the streets. The wind was colder than usual and he briefly shivered before he landed on the side of an office building, surveying the area. The endless lines of cars looked like something a child would play with. New York was a lot smaller up here; the people were ants, the cars mere toys. He smirked beneath his mask. It was thrilling to be so high above it all. It made him feel like he was a king looking out upon his country from the safety of a fortress, not some scrawny angst-ridden teenager looking to escape his shitty excuse of a life.

He shook his head, allowing himself to take in the view for a few seconds more before turning and jumping away, crossing between skyscrapers. The tall buildings increased in frequency the closer he got to the rich haven of the north side, due to the businessmen and women that occupied them. His own mother had been a part of that life once, pushed up from her humble beginnings until she married his father. He still faintly remembered the nights she'd spend after he and Itachi were put to bed, sitting in her office and going through spreadsheets and calculations.

He pushed those thoughts away and focused on the objective. One of the warehouses near a famous clothing retailer had been mentioned in passing by one of the criminals he'd webbed up the night before, and he was eager to check it out. He squinted, seeing a few people shamble inside before the heavy door closed. He jumped down to stick to the wall in an alley nearby, glancing around. He found an open window and slipped silently inside when he figured the coast was clear.

Faint voices could be heard, and he tensed. The room he was in was dark and cramped - was he in some kind of storage closet? He cursed himself as he reached out and felt a broom handle. He _was_ in a storage closet!

The voices grew closer, and he shrank back against the wall, mentally patting himself on the back for going with a darker gray suit. One of the voices let out a laugh, and his frown deepened.

"-it'll be fine! All we gotta do is go get the guy and we're done!"

"What about that Spider-Man?" Another questioned.

Another bark of laughter. "Whaddabout little ol' Spidey? Ain't he a vigilante or somethin'? He goes for the little guys, not some bigwig widda multi-million mansion!"

Who were they talking about? He leaned in closer to hear, but his heartbeat grew louder the closer the voices got to the closet.

"But if we're gonna go after him, of all people..."

"Pah! It's gonna be totally fine! Shimura's not gonna be a hard catch anyways!"

Spidey's eyes widened. Shimura? As in, Danzo Shimura? Head of the police department Danzo Shimura? What were they planning...?!

The voices began to fade away. "We're gonna have to strike soon. Perhaps on the..."

Shit! They were getting away! If only he could exit the closet without attracting unwanted attention...

He grit his teeth together and forced back the urge to sigh. He could just follow them, but he'd already gotten the information he was looking for so far.

He leaned back against the wall, shutting his eyes. Danzo Shimura was a feared man by many circles, rich and poor. The rich envied him for his money and influence, while the poor hated him with a burning passion for his policies. He'd run for governor nearly two decades ago and had lost quite handily to Minato Namikaze, the previous governor's successor. Apparently the governor had favored him quite heavily, and Danzo was so embittered with the election result that he swore off politics for good and chose instead to focus his time and money into the police force. There had been some rumors for a while among the adults about him (especially between Shisui, Izumi, and Itachi), though Sasuke had been too involved with his own life to listen in.

 _"Perhaps I should tell Izumi about it..."_ he thought. _"I know she doesn't like Shimura, but if there really is going to be a plot involving him, she deserves to know."_

His eyes snapped open when he heard approaching footsteps. He lingered for a second longer, unsure, but when he heard the doorknob shift, he darted out the window, hiding beneath it as he listened, breathing quickly.

The door to the closet opened and someone grabbed the broom, whistling a tune to themselves. They moved about the room for a moment before the door shut, and Spidey let out a relieved sigh. That was a close one.

Distantly, he heard a young woman scream for help, and he nodded firmly to himself. He'd have to tuck away that info for later. For now, he had people to help.

* * *

When he got home, he quickly undressed, took a shower, and got into his pajamas. One glance of the clock told him that it was about 10:20 PM, so he decided to go around the apartment one last time to fix a snack and check if Izumi was home yet.

He walked through the living room, ignoring the television in the background. He went to the fridge and fixed a sandwich with some leftover chicken and got a water bottle. When he went into the living room again, he noticed the person sitting on the couch.

Izumi had fallen asleep sitting upright, her head against the back of the ratty old sofa. Her face was peaceful as her chest rhythmically rose and fell. Although she was only twenty, she was getting wrinkles about her eyes, much like his brother had. A twinge of guilt went through him as he realized that she'd been here for a while. _"Was she waiting for me?"_

He sat the plate and bottle down on the coffee table and went to the hall closet to grab a blanket. He came back and covered her with it, tucking her in gently.

As he was fitting the blanket around her shoulders, her soft snores paused, and her eyes fluttered open. A sleepy smile graced her pretty face as she looked up at him. "Oh, Sasuke... you're home. Sorry I fell asleep without cooking you something. I wanted to take a quick nap. Heh... guess I slept a little too long... what time is it?"

"It's after ten," he replied, glancing up at the television. The volume was on low, but his lips pressed together at the news anchors. "You should head to bed, it's already late."

She processed it for a moment in her sleep-hazy mind before nodding slowly. "Yes... I suppose I should. Thank you for waking me, Sasuke."

He simply nodded and watched her get up from the couch, flipping the blanket so that it covered her back. She folded it around herself and gave him another smile. "Good night. Don't stay up too late; you've got school."

"I know."

Her coal eyes searched his for a moment fondly before she turned and shuffled down the hall to her room. As soon as the door clicked shut, he took the plate and bottle back to his own. First on the agenda was finishing the homework he'd forgotten about due to his patrol, and then off to bed.

He stopped short of his desk, remembering about the information on Danzo. He'd forgotten to tell her, but now he didn't feel like springing info like that on her while she was still so tired. He let out a breath through his nose, sitting at the chipped wooden desk and covering his face with his hands. He'd have to tell her tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Name a more powerful trio than Shisui, Itachi, and Izumi. Honestly? Powerful. Iconic. Awful that Shisui isn't gonna be in this book! ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Nah, JK. Hope the long lull in updates hasn't turned you off too much! Also, Sakura is a whole-ass mood. (I used to be such a perfectionist in high school.)
> 
> Please tell me what you thought of it.


	3. Wednesday Morning, Part 1

The morning came all too quickly for the boy, the smell of bacon waking him. He cracked his eyes open and let out a groan, squeezing them back shut as the light from the window hit them. He could hear the TV droning on in the living room, supplemented by Izumi's humming and the sizzling of a frying pan and chopsticks.

He sighed. Might as well get up now.

As he swung his legs over the side, he glanced at the clock, only to see that it was half an hour earlier than he was supposed to wake up. At first, he was annoyed -- why on earth had he woken up when he'd been tossing and turning for two hours the night before? But then, he realized that it wasn't bad -- sure, his body was still fighting exhaustion from his activities, and his brain was a little fuzzy this morning, but at least he could snag a moment to talk to Izumi about Danzo.

With that thought in mind, he pushed himself off the edge of the mattress and his feet hit the floor, and he was up and rummaging through his clothes.

He found an old band tee that Itachi had given him, some indie band that broke up like ten years ago, and some gray skinny jeans to match. He dressed quickly, wincing when his thumbs brushed a nasty bruise on his hips. He brushed through his unruly hair, ignoring the stubborn cowlick, and exited, heading for the kitchen.

Izumi was just setting up the table when he entered. She smiled cheerfully to him, chirping, "Good morning! My boss gave me the morning off, so we get to hang out a little before you leave for school!"

He nodded, sitting down at the table. "Ah, I see."

"So, what's new?" She clasped her hands together, cocking her head to the side. "Any new friends? Tests? What about that neighbor girl you always sit with... oh, what's her name...? Haruka...?"

"Haruno Sakura?" He offered.

"YES! Haruno Sakura!" She snapped her fingers in realization. "How is she these days?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders loosely. "Her cousin's still creepy," he mumbled into his glass of juice.

"Is she taking care of herself?" Izumi prodded gently, scooping some bacon onto her plate. "I feel so awful for the poor girl... losing her mother, not being able to see her father..."

The boy kept silent, listening to her ramble.

"... and that reminds me, I made her some dango," Izumi sheepishly grinned. "It's not my best attempt, but... I thought, since _I_ \-- since she loves sweets..."

"You can say Itachi," Sasuke bluntly replied.

Izumi's entire body flinched back into her chair, and her eyes widened, stunned. "I-- I don't... I mean,"

"Doesn't hurt much anymore," he huffed, his mood souring as he stared at his eggs. He poked them with a chopstick until the yolk broke and seeped slowly onto the bacon.

"I... I know, Sasuke," Izumi's voice grew quiet, "but it still hurts _me_."

 _"It's not like you were his family,"_ he thought snidely to himself. _"It's not like you were his best friend or something. Itachi was my brother. Mine."_

Then the guilt began to seep in, just like the yolk of the egg making his bacon soggy. "... 'm sorry," he mumbled. The many nights he lingered in the hall at night, hearing her sob to herself in her room flashed through his head, and he felt even shittier. Of course Izumi loved _him_ too. It felt foolish to compare them both. "I miss him."

"No no, it's fine, Sasuke." She said, too quickly. She smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I miss him too."

The atmosphere was heavy now, and Sasuke cringed at the silence that hung between them. So many unspoken words, too many unshared feelings. He almost wished that Izumi had just gone into work this morning. Anything would beat the awkward tension weighing them both down now.

He swallowed a mouthful of bacon that felt drier than he would've liked. It scraped his throat uncomfortably, and he had to cough into his sleeve before reaching for the juice again. After a couple of good swallows of the sour liquid, he began, "I heard something concerning yesterday that I think you should know."

"What's wrong? What happened?" She was alert in an instant, worried eyes searching his intensely. "Are you hurt?"

"It's not about me, and it's not about Sakura," he preemptively explained. "It's actually about Danzo Shimura."

Izumi's chopsticks clattered noisily onto her plate as she gaped at him. "Head Police Chief Shimura? Whatever's the matter with him?"

"I have the feeling that something bad is going to be happening to him," Sasuke explained. "I overheard some thugs talking about abducting him while I was out and about yesterday."

Slowly, Izumi reached down for her chopsticks. Her eyes narrowed in thought, her lips drawing into a tight line. As much as she hated the man for the things that went down under his watch, she had to admit that nobody wanted anything overtly horrible to happen to him.

Sasuke watched intently as she went through mental gymnastics for a few minutes. Her nose scrunched up, she closed her eyes for a few moments, she sighed, and finally, she looked back up at him.

"... thank you for bringing that to my attention, Sasuke," she said. "I'll... see what I can do."

 _"You can't actually do anything, can you,"_ he thought flatly. He wanted to say it out loud, but she looked stressed enough as it was. Danzo Shimura was not a man you ever wanted to fuck around with on a regular basis, not even if it was a matter of life and death. The man's very presence was able to scare the shit out of hardened police veterans. Hell, even his own father had been wary in the man's presence, and Fugaku Uchiha was a stone-cold man on the best of days. Not to mention that he was scarred horribly and often resorted to keeping much of his visible skin bandaged tightly every time he was seen in public. He was viscerally disturbing to look at, although he didn't look outright _inhuman_. Of course, his mind was another matter entirely, but he didn't want to think about that right now. Even one of the best interrogators of the age, Inoichi Yamanaka, famous for his ability to crack open even the worst of the worst, couldn't get into Danzo's head, and if that didn't speak volumes about the kind of -- Sasuke hesitated to call him -- _man_ that Danzo was, then he didn't know what would.

Sasuke chose to remain silent, stuffing his mouth with more toast and hoping that she wouldn't ask any more questions. At this point, he didn't really think that he could stomach the thought of the creepy, disfigured man for a moment more.

* * *

After breakfast was over with, Izumi handed him two handmade lunches: one for him, one for Sakura. He took a wild guess that Izumi had included some extras for Naruto in his, as it felt much heavier than the girl's. He got his stuff together, finished getting ready, got a hug from Izumi (and a kiss to the temple for luck), and left.

He bumped into Sakura on the way, who was more disheveled than usual. Her hair was caught in a messy ponytail, her eyes were heavy-lidded, her sweater hung off of one shoulder (exposing some of the red shirt underneath), and she looked... _sick_.

"Oh, hey Sasuke," she mumbled, her chin bumping into his shoulder as she caught up to him. "How was last night? Get any good leads...?"

He put his hand up to grasp her shoulder, pushing her up. His eyes followed her movements concernedly. "You don't look so good. What the hell happened to you last night?"

She snorted. "Fuckin' Sasori and the others had a party at eleven PM, and I feel fuckin' _fantastic._ " She pointed to her eyes. "Lookit these! Lookit these dark circles! Lemme tell ya, I used more foundation than I think I've used in the past _week_ trying to hide these, and these bastards still pop out!"

He shook his head slowly. "Relax. Nobody's gonna care."

"You're one to talk, Mister Valedictorian," she muttered angrily with a huff, folding her arms across her chest. "You don't have to live with a damned hitman for hire all the time. At least Izumi's nice."

At her words, he paused. He forcibly stopped her in place, grabbing her shoulders and turning her so that her body faced his. She let out an unhappy noise in response, but he ignored her, searching her clammy skin intently. As usual, her face was smooth and, aside from the bursts of acne that cropped up in several spots, it was totally bruise-free. Her neck was clear of any spots too, and although he was concerned, he wasn't about to go lifting her sweater to get a peek of her torso. One, she'd slap him for it, and two, he was raised to be a better person than that. He wouldn't stoop to someone like Kiba Inuzuka's level, dammit! What would his mother say?

"You done?" She flatly asked when he stepped away. "He doesn't hit me, if that's what you're wondering."

"You never know with a guy like that," he replied with a shrug, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Oh, by the way, Izumi packed you lunch."

Sakura's foot hesitated mid-stride but she caught herself before she tripped, raising her eyebrows at him. "Really?"

"She made dango, and if I had to guess, you got a PB&J." He gestured with his chin towards his backpack. "I'll hand it to you once we get to school."

"Hot damn, Izumi's a lifesaver," she chortled quietly. "I couldn't find much to pack for lunch today, so I was gonna go buy something, but... this is way better than mystery meat for lunch."

He silently agreed with a shudder. _Anything_ was better than mystery meat, even Naruto's sodium-loaded Cup-O-Noodles with extra sauce.

The two made their way down to the bus stop, where they settled into their usual spots. Sakura reclined against the back of the metal bench, tilting her head down towards her chest and closing her eyes to get in a tiny nap.

Sasuke sat on the opposite end of the bench, pulling out a black notebook and flipping to an open page in the middle. He decided to write down all of the clues he came across.

_"_ _September 2, Tuesday:_   
_-Warehouse on North End, near Blumhill's Clothing_   
_-Roughly male voices, two or three of them_   
_-Plan to take Danzo Shimura hostage?_ _"_

He underlined the third bullet point and let out a quiet hum. What had they meant by 'not a hard catch'? Danzo Shimura was one of, if not the, worst people Sasuke had ever met. Rumors spread all across the city, nay, the state, of the undercover operations that he'd been allegedly a part of. Plots to forcibly boot the governor out of office, hit jobs, drug smuggling... you name it, and there was probably an accusation that Shimura had done it. Luckily for the man, none of the accusations of him ever held much merit, as either they were silly smear campaigns, or the perpetrators of the rumor eventually denounced it as fake news. One had to wonder, though; of those who denounced their own rumors, what had made them do it?

Each one had gone live on the news denouncing their claims and admitting that they were at fault for any damage to Danzo's reputation. Each one, no matter the age nor gender, looked vaguely nervous about being on camera for the country to see. Every time Sasuke listened to an interview like that, he always wondered about the possibility that the denouncers had been forced to humble themselves like that.

He shook his head and shut the notebook, seeing the bus coming out of the corner of his eye. He nudged Sakura awake, slipped on the backpack, and stood. Sakura followed suit and rubbed at one of her tired eyes, stifling a yawn in the sleeve of her sweater. It must've been Sasori's, as he detected a faint whiff of men's cologne that he oftentimes picked up from the redhead. Luckily, this time she didn't stink of weed.

They boarded the bus with only minor heckling, and once they got moving, Sakura rested her head on his shoulder. Sasuke let her doze, ignoring her presence as he continued to contemplate the conversation he'd overheard the night before.

As soon as they got to school, they parted ways. Sasuke handed her the bagged lunch, and she'd taken it happily, walking off to her locker with more of a spring in her step than usual, despite her shaky appearance.

Naruto had walked up and slung an arm around his shoulder with a grin. "Hey-O, Sasuke! How's your morning, best buddy?"

Sasuke let out a breath from his nose. "What is it this time, Naruto?"

"Wha-- hey now, aren't I your best friend?" The blond gasped in offense, placing a hand over his heart. "Can't I greet you first thing in the morning?"

"Usually when you call me 'Sasuke' and not 'Bastard' or something else, it means you want a favor," he bluntly replied, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want this time?"

To his credit, Naruto managed to look affronted for all of five seconds before sheepishly grinning at the black-haired boy, crossing his arms behind his head. "Eheheh... you see right through me, as always... I kinda need the notes for History, 'cause I forgot to study last night."

"Why don't you just write your own notes, loser?" Sasuke exasperatedly asked, rummaging through his backpack for the history notebook.

"I could, b-- but you're so much more detailed than I am," Naruto defended. "And besides, I can't just ask Sakura-chan. She's scary."

"Sakura's not gonna throttle you that badly for asking to borrow her history notes," the boy replied with another sigh, handing the blond his notebook. "The last time I saw her punch someone was when Kiba tried to look down her shirt in gym last month. And _he_ deserved it."

"Still, why her when I can ask you?" Naruto grinned appreciatively at him, clapping him on the back as soon as he zipped up the backpack again. "Thanks, dude! I'll have 'em back to you by lunch."

"Those are my only notes, so you'd better," he halfheartedly threatened, bumping Naruto's shoulder with his. "See you in English."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of it.


	4. Wednesday Morning, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We actually meet Danzo this chapter. Whoa, technology!

At lunch, as Sasuke and Naruto sat down at their usual lunch table near the lunch line, Naruto straightened up when he saw Sakura walk in.

"Dude, Sakura-chan doesn't look so good," he noted with a frown. "Should she sit with us?"

Sasuke glanced over and had to do a double-take. She looked more pale than she had this morning, and she was shivering violently. Her head was bowed, but he could easily see her eyes, and they looked on the verge of shutting. He knew she ate well enough at home, so she couldn't be starving herself. But what could be the problem...?

"Call her over," he said, waving him off. "If anything, she'll be able to get in some sleep before class without anyone bothering her."

"Got it." Naruto nodded, jumping up from the table. "Oi, Sakura-chan!"

She looked up as he jogged over, a frown flickering across her face. Naruto gestured to their table and she peeked past him to see Sasuke. When he waved, her mouth twitched, as if she would smile. She didn't.

After a moment, Naruto was leading her over. She let him drag her by the hand, almost stumbling over her own feet. She sat down next to Sasuke and almost immediately rested her head down onto the lunch table, closing her eyes as her forehead made contact with the cool surface.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sasuke advised with a mild frown. "Awful lot of germs, and I don't think the cafeteria staff wiped this one down."

"Yeah," Naruto added, grimacing when he pulled his milk carton off the table. "It's kinda sticky over here."

Sakura gave a low moan and picked her head up, setting the lunch sack down where her head had been. She blinked hazily at it, opening it and taking out the wrapped sandwich. Sure enough, a PB&J.

"Are you feeling okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, leaning over Sasuke to look at her in concern.

"I feel like..." she trailed off, glancing over to see Naruto munching down on some shoyu ramen. A smirk spread across her face, "... like shit."

Naruto choked on the broth, managing to swallow before coughing violently. "What the hell, Sakura-chan, that's gross!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, just thumping him on the back as he hacked. When he finally caught his breath, he went back to slurping his ramen, momentarily giving Sakura the stink-eye.

"I might've gone to bed too late last night," she mumbled, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite. "Maybe I'm getting sick."

"It is cold season," Sasuke agreed blandly. "Can you make it through the rest of the day?"

"I'm just a little off my game, I'm fine." She scoffed, polishing off one half before picking up the other. "Might sit out PE, but I can make it through classes."

He nodded. "Go to the nurse's. I'll pick you up after school."

"Aww, you two are _so_ sweet," Naruto cooed, clasping his hands together and resting his cheek against them. At their annoyed stares, he chuckled. "Just kidding!"

"You better be, dumbass," Sakura grumbled, looking away as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Sasuke glanced her way, noting her eyes lowering to stare at the bench. He knew, of course, but he didn't want to embarrass her further. She'd had a crush on him since first grade, just like many other girls in their year. The only difference now was that most of them had stopped acknowledging him like he'd wanted, and she kept her feelings to herself. He appreciated her reticence. It wouldn't do to have her falling all over him when his duty was to protect the city, after all.

When she pulled out the package of dango, Naruto gasped. "Whoa, dude! You got dango today?"

"Izumi-san made them for me," Sakura replied flippantly as she pulled out a skewer. Her spirits lifted a bit at the three dumplings, and she glanced Sasuke's way. "Tell her I've got a hug coming her way next time I see her."

"Noted," he nodded.

"Can I have some?" Naruto asked, pulling out the patented 'Uzumaki Puppy Eyes'. "Pleeeeeease?"

"Sure." Sakura handed him the stick and pulled out the other. "You want some, Sasuke?"

"I don't like sweets," he flatly said.

"I know," she retorted, eyebrows drawing together into a frown as she appraised the dumplings. "Doesn't hurt to ask."

"Yeah, don't be a dick, Sasuke." Naruto nudged him in the side and pulled the first dumpling off the skewer with his teeth. "Mmm! She's getting better at this!"

Sasuke glared at his friend. A soft cough made his head turn, though, and he caught Sakura with her sleeve to her lips, her eyes narrowed into a frown as she coughed into it. When she pulled her mouth away, she grimaced, gripping her chest with her free hand.

* * *

The rest of the day went as it normally went, although once PE started, Sakura went to lay down in the nurse's office.

"So what'd you think is wrong with her?" Naruto asked as they did their laps around the gym.

"I dunno," Sasuke replied. "It's probably just a cold."

"Still, Sakura-chan never gets sick," the blond reminded him. "Except for that one time in fourth grade, but that was 'cause her mom died."

"Don't let her hear you mentioning that," Sasuke warned. The last time someone mentioned her mom, she full-out sucker punched the guilty party and got detention.

"She's at the nurse's, remember?" Naruto rose an eyebrow at him.

"She has ears everywhere, _remember_?" Sasuke imitated, mirroring his expression.

When they began their fifth lap, a tall man in a uniform walked into the gym and flagged down the gym teacher. The two of them spoke for a few moments before the teacher turned and bellowed, "UCHIHA!"

"Uh-oh, wonder what Guy-sensei wants now," Naruto shivered, giving him a pat on the back. "Good luck out there, man."

Sasuke frowned and jogged over. He didn't recognize the man, nor did he have any recollection of Izumi mentioning that he'd be pulled out early today. For a brief moment, he wondered if he'd done something to get into trouble.

Then a sinking feeling weighed down his stomach, and he swallowed hard. Had something happened to Izumi?

Guy nodded to him as he approached. "Sorry to interrupt your laps, but this gentleman here has requested to take you out early."

"Has something happened to Izumi?" He asked, glancing between them.

The tall suited man shook his head. "It's not anything to do with Izumi Uchiha. Boss has requested your presence at the police station."

His mouth went dry. "I... see."

"Well, off you go," Guy shooed him off. "I'll make sure you don't get in trouble for this."

"Thank you sir," Sasuke said robotically as he followed the man out. He briefly looked over and caught eyes with Naruto, and the blond's mouth stretched into a dissatisfied line and he nodded.

The man allowed him to change and grab his stuff from his locker before leading him to a squad car. He hesitated, but got into the back and sat rigidly as the man got into the driver's seat and drove away.

As he glanced up at the rear-view mirror he realized that he vaguely knew this man. He'd most likely been one of the ones present at Itachi's funeral a few months back, although Sasuke couldn't say for sure. Still, the idea that he knew this man's face was enough to relax him a little. He stared out the window for the entirety of the ride, wondering. If he was being called out, then Izumi had talked to Danzo about the incoming attempt on his life, right? Then what did Danzo want him for? Corroboration?

His thoughts were interrupted when they pulled up to the police station. He unbuckled himself and stepped out of the car with a sinking feeling in his chest. Whatever he was wanted for, he doubted that it was good.

"Right this way," the man gruffly told him as they entered.

The familiarity of the station made Sasuke's chest hurt a little. The last time he'd been here was the night of Itachi's death, and yet months later he felt the same feelings welling up again. Confusion. Fear. Uncertainty. He felt like that boy again, freshly fifteen and worried for his beloved older brother's safety like he hadn't been there when Itachi had been shot.

He shook the thoughts away with a violent shake of his head as they neared Shimura's office. The man knocked twice and waited until Danzo's voice commanded, "Enter." The door opened, and Sasuke could stare right at Danzo, half the man's face still bandaged tightly.

The man's lips pressed into a line and he folded his hands together on his desk. "Thank you, Hanamure. You may leave us alone now."

"Sir," the man saluted before exiting.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Danzo smiled strangely at Sasuke and gestured to a chair before his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to remain standing where he was. Something about the head police chief sent icy chills down his back. But knowing it was wiser not to anger him, he slowly walked forward and sat down. The chill of the metal sank into his jeans, and he folded his arms over his chest instinctively.

"It's come to my attention that you've heard some disturbing things concerning my safety, is that correct?" The man asked, eyeing him intently.

Sasuke swallowed to wet his throat before answering quietly, "Yes, sir."

"Ah, Izumi-chan is right, you are a polite young man." Danzo chuckled, and the sound of it made Sasuke's heart clench uncomfortably. "Well now, this is indeed concerning, isn't it? You're certain that you overheard some, ah, 'thugs', saying that they would abduct me in the near future?"

"Yes, sir. I did." The words didn't feel like his own. The atmosphere in this room was stifling, and it made him want to curl in on himself before the intimidating man sitting behind that desk. He shifted his eyes away so that he wasn't staring into Danzo's visible eye, instead staring down at the tiled floor. That was an interesting smudge a few inches away from the chair leg.

"Well I must thank you for your concern, oh, what's your name...?"

"Sasuke Uchiha." _"Younger brother to Itachi Uchiha, whom you let die."_

"Thank you for your concerns, Sasuke Uchiha," Danzo said, and the way he said Sasuke's name honestly felt like he was repulsed by it, though the boy held his tongue at the anger that bubbled up from it. "But surely you must realize that I get these kinds of threats every single day. You should heed them no mind, as I'm perfectly safe."

He sounded like he was trying to explain math to a child, the way his words slowed. His tone was horribly condescending, and the anger rose up higher. Sasuke clenched his jaw, but forced himself to remain silent. This was the man who had the power to fire Izumi at will, after all. He couldn't do that to her. Not so soon after her promotion.

"Perhaps you should better learn how to discern between silly playground taunts and actual threats to one's safety," Danzo finished with a leer as he shuffled his papers. "Did you have anything else to report to me?"

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself. "No, sir. I didn't." _"Nothing that wouldn't get Izumi fired_ ," he thought sarcastically instead.

"Then you're dismissed," Danzo replied. He pressed a button on his desk and spoke into an intercom, "Officer Watanabe, you're needed to escort out a guest."

An awkward silence settled between them for a few moments as Danzo continued to look through papers on his desk. He completely ignored Sasuke as he began scribbling his signature down on one of them.

Anger bubbled up into his throat. How dare this man? _"I muster up the courage to report a possible crime before it happens, and this is what I get? A thinly-veiled threat not to do it again? Who the hell does he think he is?!"_

A few seconds later, the door opened, and Sasuke got up from the chair, pulling his backpack with him.

"Good day, Uchiha," Danzo called as he left the room.

"C'mon, kid," Watanabe told him as he shuffled through the hallway.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _"I should let them do it. Maybe it'll teach him to treat me with such disrespect."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of it.


	5. More Snooping

Officer Watanabe drove him directly home right after the confrontation. Sasuke spent the entire drive stewing silently in the back seat, glaring out the window.

 _"How_ _dare_ _,"_ he snarled to himself. _"How_ _dare_ _he, after everything he's done to my family. How dare he treat me like shit when he's the whole reason that my brother is dead? How dare he treat me like shit when he's the one who's kept Izumi from becoming a real cop?"_

As soon as the car stopped at the apartment building, Sasuke unbuckled and grabbed his backpack on the way out.

"Hey, kid," Watanabe called. When Sasuke looked over, he nodded. "I get it."

With that, he drove off, leaving Sasuke standing there.

His heart lifted a little. At least someone got it.

He turned and began his ascent up the stairs, gripping his backpack tightly. The meeting threw off his entire afternoon, and he needed to go patrolling to clear his head and blow off some steam.

As he passed Sakura's door, he paused. Naruto had gotten her from the nurse's office, right? It looked like he understood what Sasuke was saying. Maybe he should check up on her...?

No, not right now. He shook his head, continuing on. He'd probably be sent to check up on her later with a plate of food if Izumi found out, no doubt. For now, he had to get going.

he pulled out the key and put it in the lock and turned it. He opened the door and put his stuff away, pulling off his shoes in the entryway. For a moment, he was confused at the television droning on in the background, but when he heard shifting and saw Izumi peek at him from over the couch, he realized.

"You're... home early," he observed when she smiled wearily at him.

"I was let off early today because of your meeting," she explained, getting up from the couch. "How was it? I know Chief Shimura's a bit..."

"He's rude," Sasuke huffed, his bad mood returning as he went into the kitchen. "I regret ever telling you about it."

Izumi winced. "O- oh... I'm sorry he was so rude. Really, that's just how he is, I guess. I mean he is pretty old at this point... uh, d- do you want a snack or something?"

He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. "I'm gonna go take a nap."

"Okay," Izumi fidgeted with her fingers as he passed. "Well, I'll be making dinner in a while, so..."

He went into his room and shut the door, exhaling loudly. He heard the TV's volume go down, and he frowned at the floor. _"I shouldn't have been so short with her..."_

He shook his head, locking his door. He set his backpack down next to his desk and undressed, putting on the suit. Once his mask was in place, he snuck out his window and looked around. He jumped from the building to the next, sticking to the wall and crawling to the rooftop. As soon as he was on the roof he looked out across the street. A quick trip to the North Side wouldn't hurt. He got a running start and leapt from the roof, spraying a web to the next building over and swinging through the air.

He could feel some of his bad mood melting away with the whistling wind and he smiled. Swinging through the city was one of his favorite parts of being Spider-Man. Of course, it certainly felt great punching criminals in the face too.

He made his way to the north side once again, this time going into a roll and stopping on a roof. One of the buildings nearby was the one that Mikoto had worked in years ago, so he knew he was close to the warehouse from before. He found the warehouse in question and found another open window. He slipped in and, to his delight, found that he wasn't in a storage closet this time, but rather a long room with a large conference table and assorted folding chairs around it. It was dark enough that he had to squint a little to see the other end of the room. He crawled into a corner just as the door opened, and a man stepped in.

Spidey froze, eyes warily following the man as he walked around the room, muttering angrily to himself.

A voice followed him in, and a second man joined him, pleading, "C'mon, Reni, it's not that bad!"

"Not that bad?" Reni repeated incredulously, whirling around to stare him in the face, "Not that bad? The boss is gonna be so far up my ass about this that I'm not gonna be able to even breathe for months without surveillance! Some kid goin' up to Danzo like his shit don't stink, tellin' him about 'yOu'Re In DaNgEr, ShImUrA sIr', and now since he knows we can't go forward with the plan!" He threw up his arms in frustration. "We have a tight schedule, and we can't afford any more setbacks unless everything goes kaput!"

Spidey glared at the man from his spot. _"My voice isn't that high. Prick. You made me sound like a girl."_

"Just keep calm. We can work this out, yeah?" The second man ran a hand through his greasy, shoulder-length dark-gray hair. "What about that Akatsuki gang? Can we still work out a deal with them?"

"Who fuckin' knows if we're gonna be able to do anything with Akatsuki after this!" Reni exploded. "Lord knows their boss ain't gonna want nothin' to do with the likes of us! Especially not after one of their members was killed about a month and a half ago!"

His teeth grit together. _"Whatever they're planning, Sasori better not let them do a damn thing with these thugs. At least for Sakura's sake."_

"But _that_ was an accident, right?" The second man consoled. "Look, Reni, we just need to let this little incident go. They'll never know the difference if we just let it go. We need a sustainable dealer for this, otherwise _he_ 'll have all of our heads faster than our clients will if we get arrested."

"I know," Reni snapped. Then after a huffing breath, quieter, "I know. You're right."

"Aren't I always?" The second man smiled, an oily look that made Sasuke feel vaguely uncomfortable. "Now c'mon, we still need to hold that meeting with the leader of the east end. We'll definitely need the backup if something happens tonight."

With another muttered agreement, Reni was led out by the shorter man. As soon as the door closed, Spidey took a moment to mull over the new information.

 _"Whatever they're planning, it doesn't sound good for us,"_ he mused with a frown. _"Especially not if they're trying to get Akatsuki involved. Why would they want ties to an ambivalent group of vigilantes, anyway? Weed? It may be legal now, but there are better ways to go about getting a shitload of drugs than trying to kidnap the police chief."_

Slowly, he crawled out of the corner and towards the window. He gave the door a sidelong glance, trying to decide if it was worth it to investigate.

 _"... nah,"_ he decided, going for the window again. _"This place is probably gonna be crawling with weirdos. The last thing I need is to get caught. They seem like the type of people who don't care about secret identities."_

With that in mind, he crawled out of the window just in time to see the men from before walking down the street. He hid in the alleyway, locked on to them.

Reni was wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood drawn up over his head, his hands stuffed into its pockets, with some torn denim jeans and black sneakers.

Meanwhile, the other guy looked less unkempt. He had a scarf around his neck that his hair was kinda stuffed into, over a gray longcoat that was zipped all the way up. Underneath that looked to be some gray sweatpants and some brown lace-up boots. If Spidey had run into him on the street, he probably wouldn't have given him a second glance. Now he memorized their faces and made a mental note to look out for them in the future.

He decided to tail them just because, first keeping a good distance and hopping from building to building. Eventually, Reni made a detour, and he almost wanted to follow him, but something in his gut made him follow the second guy instead.

The guy made his way down into the center of the city, making a couple of turns before disappearing into a shabby apartment complex. Spidey wanted to follow him in but decided that it was too much of a risk. He turned instead and headed back to check up on Sakura. If he had any luck, she would likely be at home in her room right now.

As soon as he got to the apartment, he crawled up to her window and peered in. Her curtains were open, allowing him a brief look of her room. It looked pretty identical to his, save for the placement of her bed, which looked like it was right underneath the window. He could see her lying in bed with her laptop, probably doing some homework.

He tapped on the window and she twisted to look up at him. For a moment, she looked annoyed, but when she saw his mask her face brightened some, and she hurriedly sat up and opened the window.

"Hey, I didn't think you were gonna check on me." She greeted, lying back in bed as he crawled in and landed on her covers. "What's up? How'd the meeting go?"

"It was lame," he replied, sitting at the end of her bed. "The guy was a total dick. Didn't even give me the time of day."

"That sucks," she sighed. "Well, Naruto will be happy to know that you weren't mugged or something. He seemed pretty worried when he picked me up from the nurse's."

"Are you getting a cold?" He asked.

"Nah, the nurse just thought it was stress or something." She sniffled, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been having some pain in my chest lately, but I've also been pretty stressed, so maybe she's right. I dunno."

"If it gets worse, go to a hospital." He ordered.

"You think I can afford a night in the emergency room if it gets worse?" Sakura snorted. "With my abysmal healthcare? I'd rather die, thanks."

A pang of irritation hit him, and he glared at her. "Don't ever joke about dying, Sakura." His tone was icy and angry, and it served to stop her sardonic joking.

She winced. "Sorry, Spidey... I forgot. But still, you know what I mean."

"Don't prioritize money over your health," he chastised. "Sasori's high all the time, but at least he makes enough money to cover both of you."

"Barely," she dryly replied. "Once my birthday hits, I'm getting myself a job. I dunno what I wanna do yet, but maybe I have a career in journalism or something. I don't really wanna sell my soul to the papers, but I'll take what I can get."

He listened to her ramble about her future job and took in her appearance. She was still pale and shivering slightly, although she seemed less sleepy than earlier in the afternoon, which was good. A spot of red in her trashcan caught his eye, and he glanced down to see some bloody tissues. He frowned. _"Are those from her coughing...?"_

She took a pause in her chat and he asked, "What are those?" He pointed to the tissues, and her eyes widened in realization.

"Ohhhh, those are from a nosebleed I had this morning." She nodded simply. "I kinda got lightheaded and my nose started going. It's fine, though."

He pursed his lips together, but didn't rebut.

"Hey, don't you have to get back to," she shifted her eyes towards the window pointedly. "Not that I don't like you here, but... y'know how worried she gets."

The realization dawned on him, and he nodded, getting up. "i'd better, yeah." He jumped onto the wall and crawled to the window. He paused, glancing down at her, and said, "Oh, and expect a plate of food sometime soon."

She grinned up at him with a thumbs-up. "Hope it's curry. Her curry is freaking awesome."

* * *

As soon as he crawled back into his room and changed, there came a gentle knock at his door. "Sasuke? I made dinner, if you're feeling hungry."

"Just a minute," he called back, throwing on a sweater with his school emblem and some sweatpants. He unlocked and opened the door, following her to the kitchen. He almost laughed at the irony; it was indeed curry tonight.

"Oh, I made a plate for Sakura." Izumi remembered, handing him a tray with a plate of curry, rice, and some chicken, along with some utensils. "Her cousin came over today for a chat, and he happened to mention that she was sick. Why don't you take that to her? I'm sure she'd be grateful for some extra food."

He nodded and turned to go. "I'll be a minute."

"Thank you, Sasuke." Izumi was smiling at him. He could tell even with his back to her. "I really appreciate it."

He merely stepped out of the apartment and went a few doors down to Sakura's door. He knocked and waited until Sasori opened the door, his amber eyes slowly trailing down to look him in the face.

He smiled lazily. "You're here for Sakura, right?"

"No, I'm here for Hidan," Sasuke sarcastically answered.

"She's in her room, then." The redhead answered, shuffling out of the way so that Sasuke could walk inside. As soon as he walked past the living room, he could smell the weed emanating from Sasori's room, along with an almost sickening aroma of Febreeze. He almost gagged, but luckily he made it to Sakura's room and opened the door. It looked the same inside as it had fifteen minutes ago.

His expression must've looked fairly disgruntled, because Sakura giggled when he shut the door behind himself. "I know, Sasori really sucks at keeping it in his room," she amusedly said. "And how did I know that Izumi was making curry tonight?"

"Maybe you're psychically linked," he mumbled, handing her the tray. "Don't hurry in bringing back. You can bring it back whenever."

"Thanks," she replied. "I'll definitely see you at school tomorrow, so I'll probably drop this off tonight."

He shrugged and turned to leave the room. The thought of going back out and smelling it again made his nose wrinkle in disgust, and he turned again, giving the window a thoughtful look.

Sakura, who'd started eating, gave him a weird look. "You're not thinking about leaving through the window, are you? You do realize that's gonna make Izumi suspicious, don't you?"

He sighed. "You're right. I forgot."

"Because it's really easy to forget you have the power to stick to buildings, I guess," she sniped with a grin.

He just shook his head and left his room, hiding his nose in his shirt. It was clean, so the laundry scent still stuck to it. Anything was better than cheap 'clean linen' scented Febreeze violently punching his sinuses as soon as he stepped out.

He made his way quickly through the apartment and out into the hallway. As soon as the door was shut, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief and made his way back to his own apartment.

"How did it go?" Izumi asked as soon as he stepped in. She was in the hallway, sweeping some broken glass off the floor.

"You know she likes your curry," he shrugged, walking past her back to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and began to eat, eyes glued to the TV in the living room. The news was going as usual, the anchor droning off some story about some political figure saying something dumb and trying to do damage control. Same as usual, same boring drivel.

Izumi walked in with the dustpan, putting the glass in the trash. She wiped off her hands, placed the dustpan back against the counter, then sat down at the table with him. She dug into her plate, humming. "This is pretty good. I'll have to make this recipe again."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. This curry tasted better than usual. _"Maybe she used a different spice blend."_

They sat in peace for about five minutes before Izumi's phone began ringing loudly from her pants pocket. She groaned quietly before setting down her fork and pulling out the phone. "Hello, Uchiha Izumi."

She paused, listening for a moment. Whatever the other person said made her jump up from her chair in alarm. "What?! Right now?"

Sasuke stared up at her in surprise, a forkful of vegetables halfway to his mouth. He watched her begin to pace about before she groaned into her hand, walking out of the room.

"Right, I'm on my way," she was saying in the hallway. He heard shuffling in the hall closet.

He sighed, setting the fork down. He got up from the chair and wandered into the hallway, watching her struggle to put on her uniform jacket. "Another call?"

"Urgent," she replied hastily, buttoning it quick. "Robbery at the clothing retailer on the North Side." She glanced over at him, kissing the crown of his head before grabbing her shoes. "I'll be a while. I'm sorry, but you'll have to eat dinner alone."

"I got it, just be careful." He shrugged, wiping off the kiss as he walked away.

"Love you!" She called as she raced out the door with her keys.

He waited until the door shut before sitting back down. He stared at the plate across the table from him and pushed his own away. _"I've lost my appetite."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of it.


	6. Rising Concerns

_Beeeeep._

_"Hi, Sasuke! It's Izumi. Uh, I've run into a bit of trouble down here, so I'll be a little late to get home tonight. Make sure you do your homework and go to bed on time! Uh, right, gotta go, love you, bye!"_

Sasuke stared at the open Blackberry in his hands, at the ID on the voicemail screen.

Uchiha Izumi, approximately around eight-twenty-six PM on Wednesday, September 3rd. Approximately ten hours and twenty-three minutes ago.

Sasuke frowned, looking up. The sun shone through his window as it always did, but the apartment felt strangely... quiet. Was Izumi even home?

He knew he would've woken up if she'd come home early. After the spider-bite, he found it easier to wake up at sounds in the apartment, such as Izumi coming home late after a shift. It also made it harder to fall back asleep, as he would be acutely aware of any little noise in the home; every creak, every pop, every groan of the old building would taunt him with sleeplessness. He knew he would've heard her last night. So where was she?

 _"She'd better not have slept at the station again,"_ he groaned to himself as he shut the phone and set it on the table as he began to get ready for the day. _"Then again, she would've remembered to call or text either before she fell asleep or after she woke up. She's usually so annoyingly fastidious when it comes to letting me know where she is..."_

A ball of fear began to sink deep into the recesses of his stomach, and he glanced at the hallway wearily. No sign of Izumi's shoes in the entryway shoe rack. The ball sank deeper, and he swallowed harshly to wet his suddenly-dry throat as he padded down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower.

He showered quickly, combed out his unruly hair and brushed his teeth, and got dressed a margin quicker than usual. He found himself at the kitchen table at six-fourteen, staring at an empty bowl with hardly any stomach to eat.

He swallowed again, pouring a bit of cereal into the bowl, followed by the milk. He closed his eyes, sighed, and poked his spoon around, getting a generous spoonful of cereal and raising it to his mouth. He chewed it, swallowed it, but it didn't feel right. He just didn't feel hungry.

"C'mon, what the hell is wrong with me today," he muttered to himself, shaking his head to clear his mind. He downed the rest of the small portion, thankful that he hadn't decided to go big. He drank the rest of the milk, washed the bowl and spoon (and set them on the drying rack for later), put the rest back, and grabbed his shoes and backpack.

He paused to send a glance back down the cold, empty hall, and an uneasy chill ran down his back.

As soon as he opened the front door, he came face-to-face with Sakura, who was holding the empty tray, plate, and silverware in her hands.

She blinked, surprised, taking a step back. "Sasuke! Hey."

"What are you doing out here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "How long were you just standing there?"

"W- well, I woke up and forgot about the tray until Sasori reminded me about it, so I decided I'd try and catch Izumi-san before she left-" she poked her head around him to try and catch a glimpse of the woman in the hall. "-did I miss her?"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in frustration, and he shook his head. "She didn't come back last night."

"What, really?" Sakura gasped. "Holy crap, I'm so sorry. That must've sounded super insensitive. Uh, c- can I drop this off first?"

He shrugged, stepping out of the doorway so that she could go in. She muttered a thank-you before slipping off her ratty tennis shoes at the entrance and rushing into the kitchen. After a moment, she came running back out, putting on her shoes again and joining him on the walk down the hall.

"So... what are you gonna do?" She asked nervously, some of her hair falling into her face when she turned to look at him. "Any idea of what happened?"

He contemplated it for a moment before shaking his head again. "It must've had something to do with the robbery last night. That would be a good place to start."

"Oh, I heard about that on the news." Sakura nodded, adjusting her red headband. "They were saying that hostages were taken... you don't think...?"

He grit his teeth, his next step down the stairs a bit harsher than he intended, making a loud thump on the wood. "I really don't want to talk about this right now, Sakura." He flatly said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She flinched at the intense glare, nodding her head rapidly. "R- right, sorry. I'll just, uh... go on ahead."

She hurried away, and he kicked at a pebble on the tile flooring of the lobby when he touched down. He didn't need to think about Izumi being hurt right now, he just _couldn't_. Not when losing Itachi was so recent. He honestly didn't think he could go through that agony again - and being so close to being able to live on his own, at that. There was no way in Hell that he was going into the foster care system. He had plans, big plans - plans that involved Spider-Man, and no outdated, abusive system was going to take that away from him now.

He kissed his teeth and turned his head to the side, ignoring the blank stare of the front desk worker as he left the lobby. _Che_. All he had to do was get through the school day and then he would be free to check up on her.

* * *

On the bus, the bullies were a bit more ruthless than usual - one of them crammed into the seat directly behind Sasuke, much to that occupant's irritation, and began jeering both him and Sakura. He put in his earbuds to drown out the mockery as usual, but Sakura didn't have anything to distract herself with. She spent the ride staring right ahead, face downturned into a slight, weary frown. She looked a bit paler than yesterday, although she wasn't coughing as much.

When they got to school, they went their separate ways. Naruto immediately bounced up to him, looking concerned.

"Teme!" He called, rushing to Sasuke's side. "Dude, you alright? You good?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He deadpanned, sparing the blond a curious glance.

"Cause I heard about the robbery last night," he stage-whispered, as if it were some big secret. His eyes were wide. "Did Izumi get back last night?"

"No, she's missing, no, I don't know where she is, yes, I'm gonna find out what happened today." He sighed tersely, slamming his locker door shut and fixing Naruto with an apathetic stare. "Is that all?"

Naruto was quiet for a moment, stunned at the outburst. Then he wrinkled his nose at him. "Geez, bastard, what crawled up your ass this morning?"

"I'm sick of people bringing her up," he snapped back, turning and walking to class.

Naruto followed, but at a distance.

A shiver went through the noiret, and he briefly missed Naruto's all-encompassing warmth bumping his shoulder.

He stepped into class, and immediately, his phone vibrated. He cursed quietly, making his way to his seat in the second row. Luckily, the teacher, Hatake Kakashi, wasn't in yet. He snuck his phone out, glancing at the screen.

It was a text from Kisame, surprisingly - when had he given the man his number?

_"hey shorty, heard bout ur little 1v1 w/ old man shimura. don't worry bout him, he's just an asshole. sasori invited the gang, maybe see u there w/ pinky l8r?"_

He scoffed, pocketing the phone again. As if he was going to join their inane meeting. It would likely be about something illicit. Maybe Hidan was passing on drugs again? He wasn't about to be somebody's errand boy, he knew that for sure.

He ignored the text and pulled out the textbook just as Naruto sat next to him, leaning in. "Dude... after you left yesterday, I went to get Sakura-chan..." he made a face. "She didn't look so good."

Sasuke hummed quietly in acknowledgement, flipping to the day's lesson.

"Like, she looked pretty sick," Naruto motioned to where the girl was sitting with her chin propped up in her hand, eyes half-lidded. "Sicker than that. I don't wanna be the only one to try and coax her to take a day off, 'cause she might not listen to me... but she'll do it if you tell her too. Please?"

Sasuke finally looked up and at the pinkette. Indeed, she looked just as sick as on the bus, if not a little worse. She looked exhausted as hell, and her head kept tipping forward, like she wanted to take a nap. He could chalk it up to bad sleeping habits, but he and Naruto had both known the girl for years - Sakura was not someone to sacrifice too much of her sleep when it came to things she took seriously, like high school. She was taking higher-leveled classes, but she always made sure she got her work done in school - and the work she took home she could easily complete in no time at all.

What was wrong with her all of a sudden?

Suddenly aware of Naruto's pleading expression, he gave a little sigh and nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll tell her to pack it up. Only if she still looks that bad at lunch."

Naruto fist-pumped quickly, snickering under his breath, "Dude, don't let her hear you saying that. I know she likes you, but she's not above giving a TED talk on stuff like that."

* * *

True to his word, Sasuke helped Naruto confront the girl at lunch. She looked halfway to passing out, and her forehead was clammy and hot. She was understandably frustrated that they wanted her to go home, so she compromised: she would get her temperature taken at the nurse's before PE, and if she had a fever, then she'd go home early.

Their last class came, and Sakura went to the nurse's office. Neither of the boys saw her again after PE was over, so they assumed she went home. Sasuke said he'd check up on her after he got back to the apartment, and thus he and Naruto parted ways.

Sasuke stepped off the bus at the apartment complex and headed on up. Perhaps he'd have to take Kisame's invitation after all. First he stopped off at his apartment and changed into some comfier clothes (sweatpants and some hand-me-down tee), heated up some canned chicken noodle soup, and took it over to Sakura's apartment.

He knocked on the door and waited. As soon as the door opened, he met Sasori's eyes and held up the bowl. "I'm here to visit Sakura."

Sasori smiled calmly, letting him by. "How cute. I didn't think you and Sakura were that close."

 _"We really aren't,"_ Sasuke thought to himself. He said nothing, though, and headed past the older man to her room.

He knocked twice on her door and waited for her faint-sounding "Come in" to enter. He opened the door and saw her lying in bed with a wet cloth on her forehead.

She coughed and struggled to sit up against her pillow. "Hi," she croaked, giving him a watery smile. "I had to go home early."

"I noticed," he agreed as he brought her the soup. "Here. Mom always said soup helps with colds."

"I dunno what I got, but I don't think it's a cold," she chortled weakly as he pulled up her desk chair to sit in. "But hey, I'm not gonna turn down free food."

"Do you think you can eat it yourself?" He asked, eyeing the way she shivered in her spot.

She rose her arms, letting them shake in the air for a few moments before she lowered them and shook her head, quietly replying, "... no."

He spooned up some broth and blew on it gently before holding it out to her, bringing the bowl close to her so that it wouldn't spill onto her covers. She accepted the spoonful and sighed happily when she swallowed it. The soup warmed her all the way down, and she opened her mouth for another.

Sasuke continued to feed her spoonfuls until the bowl was half-empty, and then he set it on her desk while she snuggled back into her covers.

"Thanks," she said, letting out a shuddering cough into the crook of her arm. "I'll have to finish the rest later... for now I think I should sleep. I'm tired."

"You're not coming into school tomorrow, are you?" He asked, staring her down.

She frowned at him, rolling her eyes. "It's just a stress-induced fever, Sasuke," she huffed. Her voice was slightly muffled by her comforter. "As long as I don't have a fever tomorrow morning, I'm going to school."

"If you have anything over 100, you're staying home or I'm webbing your door shut." He halfheartedly threatened. He ignored the snort of "Whatever," before turning and leaving her room. He paused in the doorway, giving her a look. "I mean it."

"I got it, Doctor Uchiha," she waved it off with a small grin. "Good night."

He gently shut her door and walked back down the hall, where he walked past the living room full of Akatsuki.

"Oi, Inky!" Kisame called with a toothy grin, making him pause. "I know Pinky is sick and Clyde is with the old man, but surely you can join us for a few minutes?"

Sasuke let out a sigh through his nose before turning and entering the living room, taking a seat on one of the recliners in the room and folding his arms across his chest.

"Well isn't this a treat," the deep voice of the gang's leader, Pain, rumbled. He gave the boy a polite nod. "Good to see you again, Sasuke."

"It's been too fuckin' long, squirt!" Hidan piped up with a bark of laughter. "You oughta see us more often, dammit! We could use a fresh face around here!"

"I'm not in the mood for illicit activities," he deadpanned, giving the gray-haired man a raised eyebrow.

Chuckling laughter rose up from the group, and Hidan sputtered a defense. "W- well, not everything we do is fuckin' illicit! Give me some credit, squirt!"

Konan, the woman of the bunch, politely nodded to him. "Ignore him, Sasuke. We were just having a quick meeting."

"Can we continue with this unexpected... addition?" Kakuzu, a senior member of the bunch, questioned, folding his arms, riddled with stitches and scars, across his massive chest.

"Yes, I don't see why not," Pain replied, glancing over at him with ringed gray eyes. "This matter concerns him just as much as it would us, given his status among the local police."

"That robbery last night," Sasuke spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Something feels suspicious about it. It occurred too suddenly considering the crime in that area."

"Hm, and didn't your big sis not make it back last night?" Deidara, a relatively young member (of only 18, the youngest in present time in fact), drawled, narrowing his visible baby-blue eye at him. The man had a temper as explosive as his bombs, which he seemed to have an unusual expertise in. Adding the fact that he detested Itachi, Sasuke was uneasy having him in the same room.

Sasuke grit his teeth in irritation. "No, she didn't," he ground out, clenching his fingers into the fabric of his shirt.

"Alright, alright, come on," Kisame tried to placate them both. "We're not here to start an argument, we're here to discuss certain events."

"Exactly." Pain agreed. "Starting off, the robbery itself. The news has reported that it was a result of gang activity - one of the lesser gangs in the north end. The problem with this statement is that, until a few months ago, there were no gangs in that area of town. _Someone_ is blatantly lying to the news outlets and decrying our reputation. We don't just moderate gang activity, we regulate them - and now the police are spreading the idea that we're growing lazy in our efforts."

"Bunch o' pigs," Hidan grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I never liked that Shimura guy. Too shady if you ask me."

Sasuke sat up straighter, and Hidan caught his eye. He sent the teenager a knowing smirk, and Sasuke's frown deepened.

"Regardless of the scandals that have happened under his eye, he's not the biggest of our worries right now," Konan interjected, folding her hands together in her lap. "We can continue to gather evidence on him at a later date. For now, we need to get the police off our back by dealing with these rogue gangs."

"Sasori, Deidara, you two are going to meet with the leader of Kappa Alpha," Pain said, looking over to the two. "Make sure they know that they're going to have to curtail their... extracurriculars."

"Aw man, with a lame-ass name like that?" Deidara groaned, letting his head hang over the edge of the couch. "Yeah, yeah, we can."

"Of course we can," Sasori agreed breezily, eyes flickering toward the blond in annoyance. "Do we need backup?"

"As of now, it isn't advisable." The ginger shook his head. "We want to negotiate, not yet intimidate. They know that if they pick a fight with us, they'll have to deal with a combined coalition of ten different gangs all over the city. We don't want to push it."

"Understood." Sasori nodded.

"Kakuzu, Hidan." Pain turned next to the duo. "You two will be going with a squad of five men to meet with the leader of..." He squinted at a small list in his hand, "... 'Riot', spelled R-H-Y-O-T..."

"Oh, newfish, eh?" Hidan cackled, rubbing his hands together. "We'll sort 'em out, Boss."

Kakuzu nodded, his eyes narrowing in displeasure. "Might as well collect from them at this rate."

"Not yet," Konan reminded. "They may be newfish, but they will grow to resent us and form an uprising."

Kakuzu mumbled a reply and shook his head.

"Kisame, you'll be leading a squad of three to meet with the leader of Novi tonight." Pain nodded to the blue-skinned man. "We have reason to believe that their alliance with Rhyot is the reason for the robbery last night. You must go in to sort them out."

"This'll be fun," Kisame chuckled, his sharp teeth gleaming in the light.

"As for Konan and myself," Pain finished, "we've been summoned to discuss this recent increase in crime with the head police chief himself."

A couple of people groaned, and others rolled their eyes.

"Really?" Deidara squawked. "We're stuck goin' after some newfish, and you get to go toe-to-toe with Shimura?"

"He's just gonna spin a story about us being a 'bad influence' on the city or some shit!" Hidan agreed angrily, looking over at Sasuke. "Right, kid? He's an asshole!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, leaning forward in the chair.

" _We_ were explicitly requested to do this meeting," Pain's voice took a cold tone. "If anyone else were to do it, Shimura could claim that we aren't interested in negotiating terms with the police and could make a plea to the mayor to take our protected status away."

The group fell silent for several seconds. The air grew tense, and it was clear that mentioning the police chief greatly dampened the mood. Sasuke shifted in his seat, eyes darting back and forth between solemn faces.

"We can't afford our protection being taken away now," Sasori piped up in a quiet drawl. "The second that luxury is lifted, it's practically open season."

"If we want to protect the people of this city, we must do what we can," Pain declared, getting up from the couch. Konan followed his lead. "For now, do what you must. Take care that you don't stir up too much trouble. I expect a report tomorrow afternoon."

"What about the girl?" Deidara questioned, gesturing with his eyes towards the bedrooms. "Didn't she have a nasty run-in a few days ago?"

Sasuke's eyebrows knit together into a contemplative frown. _What?_

"We can't be totally sure that this is _his_ doing yet," Pain replied flatly, shifting his gaze to where Sasuke sat for a moment before going back to the artist. "We'll need to keep a close eye on him from here on out to make certain that he's not poking his nose where it doesn't belong."

_He?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought.


	7. A Thinly-Veiled Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I worked super hard most of last night and today to get this out. Enjoy some more Danzo assholery!

It was later in the afternoon when Spider-Man swung by the scene of the crime. The police tape was still there and several officers were still present. His eyes scanned the crowd and he frowned. No sign of Izumi.

"Excuse me!" he called, catching a couple of men's attention. "I'm looking for a certain officer, can you help?"

"Holy shit, it's Spidey," one of them said in surprise. "My daughters are big fans, can I get a picture?"

"Only if you help me first," the teenager replied in slight irritation.

"Who are you looking for?" The second asked, pocketing the notepad he'd been writing on.

"Izumi Uchiha." Spidey folded his arms, eyes shifting between the two of them. "She's been missing for more than twelve hours now Her, er, charge is worried about her."

"Oh, Uchiha?" The first scratched the back of his neck, puzzled. "I dunno, man. We called her down here last night and I think she was with us? Right?"

"Yeah, I saw her rushing in with the others." The second confirmed, narrowing his eyes in thought. "When we secured the perimeter, she came out with them, but I don't remember what happened to her after that."

Spidey nodded, gritting his teeth in frustration. _Dammit_. "I see. Well, thanks for pointing me in the right direction."

"Can we get a picture real quick?" The first cop pleaded, pulling out his cell phone. "My daughters would _freak_ if they knew I met you on the job. Remember Maria? She's the one whose cat you saved that one time?"

He wracked his brain for a girl named Maria. He'd saved a _lot_ of cats in the months he'd been Spider-Man. "I... believe so."

Now that he kinda looked at the cop, he found him familiar. He was one of Izumi's coworkers, so perhaps he'd met the man at a function before? Anything was possible.

Shrugging ambivalently, he leaned in close to the officer and raised his hand in a peace sign as he took the picture. Once the man was satisfied with it, he nodded and flashed the boy a big grin. "Thanks. You're a real hero, kid."

"It's in the job, sir." Spidey saluted him and jumped onto the wall. Ignoring their shocked expressions, he bid them goodbye and crawled up until he was on the roof.

Sighing deeply, he looked up at the sky for a few moments. _"She went in, she came out, but... she disappeared..."_

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Next, he stopped off at the police station. He was well aware of Danzo's dislike for the vigilante hero, but perhaps he'd be more apt to listen to someone he figured was in their twenties rather than a teenager.

As soon as he walked into the lobby, the receptionist gaped at him.

"Holy cow, if it ain't Spidey!" He greeted with a grin. "It's not every day an actual hero walks into the station. What can I do for ya?"

"I need to speak to Chief Shimura," he replied, "it's urgent."

Slowly, the smile drained from the receptionist's face. "Oh... I dunno if I can get you in. He's busy at the moment, and I don't figure he's in the mood to receive uninvited guests."

Spidey sighed quietly, fortifying his stance. "Not even if it concerns the safety of one of his officers?"

"Mm, it depends on which one." The man replied distantly, eyes glancing back at the computer as he began typing something. "Which one was it, again?"

"Izumi Uchiha."

The man's fingers froze in place, and he turned wide eyes onto him. "Uchiha?"

"Yes, her," the boy agreed with a frustrated look. What was up with everyone reacting in shock to her name today? Was she _that bad_ of an officer?

 _"No, focus,"_ he thought to himself, staring into the bewildered receptionist's face _. "Izumi puts her whole heart into this job every day. There's no way people would hate her... right?"_

Hesitantly, the young brunette man shook his head. "I... I don't know if I can...-"

Suddenly, the intercom on his desk crackled to life. "Morita, send him in."

"Sir?" Morita squeaked into the microphone, his blue eyes widening in surprise.

"Send the Spider in," Danzo's gruff voice repeated. "He and I need to have a little chat."

Shivering, Morita nodded and answered, "R- right away, sir!" and quickly typed something in. After a few clicks of the mouse and some more typing, he grabbed a printed paper pass from the printer and thrust it into Spidey's hands. "Well, you know where his office is. Uh- good luck, Spider-Man."

Crinkling his brow in confusion, Spidey nodded to the man and walked past his desk and through a door on the left side of the wall. He'd memorized the route the last time he'd been here, in case he ever needed to go back to _that man_. Luckily it was helping him now. Still, a seed of doubt implanted itself into his heart. What did Danzo want with him? How did he even know he was speaking with the receptionist?

For a moment, his stride faltered, and he blanched beneath the mask. _"Is... is Danzo the one operating the security cameras...?"_

Trying his best to shake off the unease that came with that sudden thought, he continued through the corridors, walking up the same flight of stairs to the second floor. The two men guarding the door to the chief's room glanced at each other warily before stepping away so that he could open the door.

Spidey took a deep breath to calm his nerves before slowly opening the door. All at once the cool air in the room hit him, and he shivered for a moment. Why did Danzo keep the room so cold?

"Ah yes, come in, vigilante." Danzo spoke up, squinty eyes watching him as he walked in. "Please take a seat. I know you're a _busy man_ , so I'll try not to keep you." His voice took on an almost sarcastic tone and it made Spidey's blood simmer.

Slowly, the teenager sat down, folding his hands in his lap. His eyes were straight ahead, looking past Danzo's shoulder to avoid making direct eye-contact. He felt that if he did, the man's squinty eyes would paralyze him in his spot. He'd seen full-on politicians freeze up when they locked eyes with this man. No thanks.

"Now, I understand you have some concerns about an employee of mine?" He asked, slowly folding his hands and resting his chin on them.

"Yes," Spidey replied curtly. "The Uchiha boy told me. He sounded upset enough that I felt like I needed to take matters into my own hands."

Danzo's lips pressed into a line. "The Uchiha boy."

Raising an eyebrow, Spidey elaborated, "Yes... I'm not going to refuse help to citizens who ask."

The man let out a deep sigh, staring the masked boy right in the eye. "As much as I'm sure we appreciate your, ah, help," he rose his eyebrows at that, "I can assure you that my officers have it under control. Any extracurricular activities that Izumi Uchiha gets up to outside of work is none of my concern."

Spidey opened his mouth to rebut, but Danzo quickly cut him off, "Make no mistake, without her contribution to the force we probably wouldn't have deescalated the robbery last night as quickly as we did. But it's not my job to monitor the whereabouts of all of my men and women once their shift is over."

The boy clenched his eyes shut for a moment, took a quiet breath, and reopened them to stare defiantly at the wrinkled man. "With all due respect, Chief Shimura, it's my responsibility to keep the citizens of this city safe at all costs. I can't do my job if you can't cooperate with me to find one of your officers. All I have to go on are limited clues. If you can't set aside your own feelings to help me-"

He trailed off when Danzo abruptly unclasped his hands and stood from his desk. The man towered over him at his full height of 1.7 meters (or just under 5'6").

"Heed my words, vigilante," his voice was eerily calm for the killing intent that radiated off of him. "You have no gain by threatening me or my force. Might I remind you that I hold the power to hunt you down if you prove to be a risk to the security of this city?"

"You say that it's your responsibility, your _job_ to protect this city," he continued, folding his arms across his chest. "You're a young man, practically a fresh-faced college graduate. This is not your _job_. Chances are, you already _have_ a job," he paused to glower at the masked boy, "or perhaps you still live with your parents at home, living off of them while they pay your bills and make you food and what have you. But _this_?" He gestured with a wave of his hand at his office space. "This is _my_ job. Protecting the people and making sure that suspicious men like you don't disrupt the natural order of things around here. I don't need to mention that technically, vigilante justice in this city is still toeing the line of illegal. Should you make even one slip-up, well..." he chuckled, leaning in with a malicious smirk. "... let's say it won't end well for you."

It was hard to keep his lips clamped together, but he managed to reign in enough of his anger to send him a scathing glare instead, clenching his fists in his lap.

"Am I clear?" The man sat back down in his cushy office chair, giving him an expectant look. "Dare to threaten me or my police force again, and I may just have to enact a little 'vigilante' justice on you myself."

_The nerve._

"... Yes, sir." The words were toneless and flat.

The elder fixed a pleasant, or what should have been pleasant, expression on his aged face. "Excellent. Now, if we're both in agreement, I have work that needs tending to. I simply don't have much more time to spend going in circles with you."

Spidey shook his head. He didn't think he could muster any more words without wanting to strangle the man.

"Good." Danzo pressed the intercom button and spoke into it, "Watanabe, please escort my guest out of my office."

"I can go myself," Spidey spat, standing up so quickly that his chair screeched on the tile. "I don't need your bodyguards to do that for me."

Danzo paused. "Never mind, back to your post," he said, then let go of the button and leered at him. "Well, off you go. Don't let me keep you."

Spidey paused. He glanced towards the only window in the room, a small one with the blinds drawn. He considered opening the window and jumping out, but with Danzo staring at him so intently with a look that practically screamed _don't even think about it_ , he felt the confidence sapped from him and he opened the door and left.

* * *

Sasuke punched the wall of the building with all of his strength, not caring that it was concrete. Pain shot up his knuckles on impact, and the wall cracked under his power. He pulled his hand away and examined the damage. Thankfully, his knuckles were only bleeding, but the wall had a noticeable dent and cracks spider-webbed away from it for a good foot or so.

He kissed his teeth, growling as he stormed off to his apartment building. Even half an hour later, after changing out of the costume and going for a walk to clear his head, he was still so pissed off! He pulled out his phone and went to his text messages. Still nothing. He switched to the phone app. Still nothing, except for the voicemail he'd already listened to about twenty times and counting already.

He stormed up the stairs to the second floor and went right for his apartment. He unlocked the door and stepped inside the hallway. It was still quiet and gloomy as he walked through. He hadn't bothered opening any of the curtains before he'd left for school this morning, so everything was covered in a layer of darkness. Everything felt a little smaller now.

He swallowed hard to try and get his emotions under control. "Izumi...?"

He waited for ten seconds. No response.

"Izumi?" He called again, louder this time. He walked past the living room and towards her bedroom.

He hesitated. He hadn't gone into her bedroom since Itachi had passed. It was a silent admission to her that his grief kept him from seeing what once was his brother's bedroom.

 _"... Can I really do this?"_ He thought, desperately sending a glance down the hallway to the kitchen. _"Am I strong enough yet?"_

He hesitated, reaching for the knob. When his hand came into contact with the cool metal, his entire body flinched. Something was telling him not to go in, that he couldn't handle it even now. He grit his teeth and kept his grip for a good few seconds before letting go, backing away from the door.

A frustrated sob escaped his throat and he went past her door to his own. He flung it open, uncaring of the mess for once and flopping down onto his bed, burying his face into his pillow.

This entire day had been complete shit. His mind was racing so quickly he was getting a headache, and it was only about six PM.

 _"Is this just a stupid nightmare? Can I wake up now?"_ He thought irritably, glaring into the soft pillow. _"I want Izumi back... this apartment is too lonely by myself."_

His eyes slowly closed, and a single tear escaped his eye, wetting the fabric. _"I wish you were here, big brother..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought!


	8. Thursday Night Sushi, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's gonna be May, y'all. I hope you enjoy this angsty chapter, because I sure didn't!

_The spring rain was deafening against the side of the apartment. The skies were just as gray as the mood seemed to be as Itachi stepped through the door, soaked to the bone from the downpour outside._

_"You're back!" Izumi was immediately on her feet with a towel, features twisting in alarm. "Is... is he...?"_

_"He's gone," the simple answer came as he accepted the towel with a blank countenance. He dabbed gently at his drenched hair before wrapping it around his neck, mindful that the ends of his ponytail fell atop the fluffy white fabric. If one looked hard enough, they could see the pain in his coal irises. "I searched everywhere, I asked everyone. Shisui... he's just disappeared."_

_Izumi's mouth fell open in a silent gasp, her hands flying to cover it._

_Sasuke peeked up at him over the couch, and they both locked eyes for a few seconds. Itachi's features softened some at the sight of his little brother, and he beckoned with his hand. Obediently, Sasuke jumped up and padded over, where Itachi wrapped his arms tightly around him in a hug. Sasuke returned the embrace, a little confused._

_"Itachi, you're drenching me," he muttered, wrinkling his nose in discomfort when the water began soaking through his shirt._

_The man chuckled, pulling away after a moment. When Sasuke looked up at him again, his eyes were warm, and his fear - if still there - was expertly hidden behind a wall. This was the way Itachi explicitly reserved for him and Izumi - this loving endearment that made the boy's shoulders relax and his fears subside, if only for a little while._

_Izumi stood beside him, wringing her hands together, a nervous habit of hers. She was chewing on her bottom lip, her brows drawn together in worry._

_"Sasuke," Itachi began, and the boy perked up, "you remember the BB gun that Kisame got you for your birthday?"_

_"The one that you hid away?" Sasuke replied, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah."_

_For a moment, his brother hesitated. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, glancing up at Izumi. The woman's eyes were suspiciously shiny, and her lips formed a trembly upturned line, and she nodded to him. Then Itachi turned back to him, his smile plastic._

_"I think it's time for you to have it," he continued. "But you must promise me that you'll use it responsibly. No shooting living things, or anything in the house."_

_Sasuke nodded, his heart lifting in excitement. Naruto would be so stoked to finally see it! "I promise," he quickly vowed. "But only if you promise me that you'll go with Naruto and I next time old man Jiraiya drives us to the movies. That new movie is coming out, remember?"_

_The taller man slowly nodded. "Aa, I do recall."_

_Without another word, Itachi straightened, gave another meaningful look to Izumi, and crossed the living room towards the bedrooms. Izumi glanced down at Sasuke, who was looking up at her in confusion. She simply shook her head, wringing her hands again. She bowed her head away from him, although he could see a single tear making its way down the side of her face. What was going on?_

_His brother returned a few moments later, BB gun in hand. He handed it to Sasuke, and for a moment, his hand enveloped Sasuke's smaller one. When Sasuke looked up, he was met with a swift forehead poke, and Itachi smiled in amusement as the boy stumbled back a bit, holding his forehead with an annoyed frown._

_"Forgive me, Sasuke," he said, his eyes twinkling. "But I'm afraid there may not be a next time."_

* * *

When Sasuke awoke, his room was dark. He blinked, sitting up in bed, his body uncomfortably hot and slightly sweaty. He frowned, feeling more exhausted than before. At least the headache was gone.

He rubbed his eyes, glancing over at the clock. Eight PM. If Izumi wasn't back by now, she was definitely still missing.

With that thought in mind, he jumped out of bed, going to his door. He peeked out into the hallway. "Izumi!"

... No response.

He growled to himself, fisting his hands in his hair. "Dammit, this isn't funny! You know how we felt when...-" He cut himself off, Shisui's name on the tip of his tongue. He swallowed the words before he could say them. _"... When Shisui disappeared..."_

He went around the apartment one last time, determined to find her. He checked the kitchen. Nothing. Living room. Nothing. Bathroom? Nothing.

He highly doubted she was holed up in her room again. The last time, she'd promised to get a therapist, and she actually went once a week on Fridays. The only problem with that notion is that it was eight PM on a Thursday.

Still...

He reached out and knocked loudly on the door. "Izumi! Are you there?"

He waited for a second... nothing.

Growling louder, he banged on the door. "C'mon, open up! Dammit!"

The deafening silence after his banging subsided made his throat grow tight.

 _"She would've heard by now,"_ he thought frantically to himself as he fell to his knees before the door. He banged his forehead against the wood, clenching his eyes shut in pain. _"She would've come out by now. She's gone."_

Panic seized him, and he felt tears bubbling to the surface. Sasuke had never done well with people leaving him; when both his parents died, he'd developed separation anxiety. He was able to control it more easily when he moved in with Itachi and Shisui, and later on when Izumi came to live with them, but after Shisui disappeared, and after Itachi died...

He swallowed harshly, feeling his throat close up even more. His breathing was becoming more erratic by the second, and he was beginning to feel lightheaded.

"Izumi," he called weakly, rising his fist to knock against the door. His voice shook. "Please... please come out..."

He let out a tiny sob, his hand falling from the door to slap against the floorboards. "Don't leave me..."

He sat there and cried, panting and gripping his chest. It was tightening again... "Don't leave me...!"

Hiccuping, he rose his head and shouted, "Don't leave me here alone!" At the end of his shout, his voice cracked, and he sniffled, wiping his running nose on his arm.

His voice bounced off of the sparse white walls, and at the pitiful sound of it, he groaned loudly.

 _"C'mon, get a grip, Sasuke,"_ he told himself, gritting his teeth. _"What would Itachi say...?"_

His brother's voice came to mind, soothing and uplifting. _"Sometimes men cry, Sasuke. There's no shame in that. Let out your feelings and rise up again."_

He clenched his fists. His breathing became a little easier. "Itachi..."

Suddenly, his phone began ringing in his room, startling him. He whirled around, wide-eyed, at his door. Slowly, he staggered to his feet, walking back in. As soon as he opened his phone, he sniffled and wiped his eyes.

He cleared his throat and answered, hoping that it didn't sound like he'd been sobbing his eyes out only moments earlier. "What's up, Naruto?"

"Hey, man!" The boy greeted cheerfully. The very sound of his voice made Sasuke's lips twitch into a small smile. "The old man and I were gonna go to dinner tonight. You wanna go?"

Sasuke glanced up at the window. It was already too dark outside to go patrolling, no matter how good his vision was now. "Uh... I won't be able to pay for much of my portion..."

"Don't worry so much about that!" Naruto groaned. "It's our treat. C'mon, I know you can't resist some Thursday night sushi! Riiiiiiight...?"

Sasuke sighed, a flickering smile spreading across his face. "... Sushi does sound good right now..."

"Then get ready to go. We're almost at your apartment. I'll come up and knock when we get there." Naruto explained. There was some chatter in the background, and he added, "Oh yeah, and Granny Tsunade is with us too!" He dropped his voice to a whisper, "They're totally going on a double-date, so I asked to invite you so that I wouldn't be third-wheeling!"

Sasuke could hear a loud bark of laughter and an angry woman's voice over the line calling "What do you mean 'Granny'?!" before Naruto hastily replied, "Uh, okay gotta go bye!"

The boy pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at the main screen for a moment.

Then he wiped away the rest of his tears, grabbed a tissue, and shaking his head in good humor. "Ah, that idiot..."

* * *

Only five minutes later, he heard a loud knocking at his front door. He straightened out the sweater he put on, patted down his hair, and shouted down the hallway, "Come in!"

He heard the door open and Naruto step inside, calling jokingly, "Honey, I'm home!"

Sasuke snorted, shutting his bedroom door and sauntering to the door, commenting, "You'd better hope that you wiped off your shoes first. I'm not cleaning mud off the floor, _dear_."

"Pah, it's fine," Naruto waved it off, scratching his neck. "Is she not home yet?"

The boy hesitated in putting on his shoes. "... No."

The blond nodded his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his orange jacket. Everything about his outfit, from the jacket to the equally orange track pants and black tennis shoes, screamed Naruto. It was hard to imagine the boy in anything that wasn't as loud and boisterous as he often was. It was... rather comforting.

"... hey," he hesitantly said. "Is everything okay?"

Sasuke froze in his spot.

"I didn't wanna bring it up in the car in front of the old man and Granny, but... you sounded like you were in the middle of a serious weep-a-thon." Naruto scuffed at the tile with the toe of his shoe. "You know I'm your friend, right? You can tell me if and when you feel like it."

Sasuke swallowed, his heart momentarily leaping up into his throat again. "... Noted."

As soon as his shoes were on and tied, Naruto clapped him on the back with a grin, his aura sunny once more. "Let's go get some su-shaaaaaaay!"

Sasuke locked the door and stuffed the keys back into his pocket, zipping it up. He and Naruto walked through the hall, the former listening to the latter chatter on.

"-right? And then Gramps comes home and says he found Granny down at the bar again, so he thought, why not? Might as well take his totally, uh, _not girlfriend_ out to dinner with us." Naruto laughed. "I really don't see why they don't just bang already. Everyone can see them dancing around each other. Hell, I can see it, and I'm a real dumbass in anything but practical learning! If I wasn't so considerate, I'd just push 'em together!"

"You know Dr. Senju would wring your neck for it," he remarked. "Doesn't matter that she knew your dad back in the day."

"At least Sakura-chan isn't like that," Naruto smiled goofily. "Well, not as much like that. I guess sometimes I deserve it, y'know? Like that one time I snuck a frog into her backpack during recess in the fifth grade."

Sasuke had to chuckle at that. "She was _so_ pissed at you and Kiba. I still can't believe Kiba only got away with a slap. Her hand is worse than her boots, so I've heard."

"That's 'cause he was a dirty coward! If I could handle a literal ass-kicking, so could he!" The blond exclaimed, throwing up his arms. "Shikamaru wouldn't have ran off. Then again, Shikamaru never really gets involved with anything, so she probably wouldn't have believed him at first anyway."

"Didn't he have a crush on her in the sixth grade?" the black-haired teenager recalled suddenly. "I think I remember a point when they were paired together in every class."

"I dunno," Naruto shrugged. "I never noticed anything. If he did, he's shit at showing it." After a beat, he beamed. "Hey! Just like you!"

"Piss off," Sasuke immediately retorted, shoving him with his elbow. But he hid a tiny smile in the collar of his sweater.

As soon as they got to the car, Naruto and Sasuke piled in the backseat. Jiraiya glanced back at them and greeted the black-haired teenager, and he nodded in reply.

"Is the Uchiha kid back there?" Tsunade twisted to glance back at him. "Ah, of course he is. Hey kid. You learning to make noise yet?"

Sasuke smirked. "Compared to Naruto?"

The blond startled at that, and the two adults in the front seat laughed good-naturedly. He pouted and folded his arms across his chest for a good twenty seconds, but then he dropped the act and relaxed against the leather seat, pulling out his phone so that he could text something.

A moment later, Sasuke heard his phone chime. He rose an eyebrow as he pulled out the Blackberry, reading the text silently to himself as Naruto began giggling.

Finally, he sighed, giving Naruto an exasperated expression. "Dad jokes? _Really_?"

"I've been holding that one in ever since this morning!" Naruto replied with another hysterical giggle. "You're smiling, admit it!"

"I am not."

"You _are_! I see a smile!" Naruto leaned in and poked at the corner of his lip, and he halfheartedly swatted the hand from his face.

He looked away, staring out the window with his lips twitching. Naruto was right, he _was_ smiling at a dumb dad joke, and he hated it. But he also wanted more... Naruto would never know.

...Speak of the devil, his phone chimed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone needs a Naruto in their life, and that's a fact.
> 
> Please tell me what you thought!


	9. Thursday Night Sushi, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking two months to post this. I had an awful time of it, because I completely lost my focus. I'll try to do better from now.  
> For now, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

The air was warm and smelled of seafood in the restaurant. As soon as they'd arrived, Sasuke's stomach had growled loudly enough for Naruto to laugh. They were seated quickly and they ordered. Everything on the menu looked so good, it was hard to initially decide, but eventually they all found something good. Sasuke had decided on a dynamite roll (with extra wasabi, which made Naruto shudder in disgust) while Naruto had settled on a California roll. Jiraiya and Tsunade took a little longer, but decided to share a platter.

As soon as the waitress brought their drinks and took their food orders, the group broke off into easy chatter. Sasuke focused on his warm tea, still in a low mood from earlier.

Naruto sighed in content and took another sip of his drink. "So."

Sasuke rose an eyebrow, deciding to play his game. "So."

"Are you gonna be a grumpy bumpy for the whole night, or do I need to cheer you up via excessive force?" The blond wiggled his eyebrows with a sly grin.

Sasuke groaned, shaking his head. "You aren't seriously gonna bring that back up again, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He beats me at Double Dash five times and decides that that's a good way to 'cheer me up' from then on," The Uchiha explained with air quotes and a scowl. "Need I remind you that I've beaten you fifty?"

"Need I remind you that you absolutely suck at Solitaire?" Naruto retorted, folding his hands across his chest. "Who's beaten who fifty times there, even under the influence of two whole liters of soda?"

"Well, I-" Sasuke paused before closing his mouth and frowning. "... we don't talk about that night."

"Like hell we don't talk about that night," the blond grumbled.

"You play Solitaire?" Tsunade asked, intrigued.

Sasuke shrugged. "Sometimes, I guess."

"Competitively?"

"No."

From beside him, the other boy snorted. "He couldn't play competitively to say his life! Don't quit your day job, Sasuke."

"How's school going for both of you?" Tsunade changed the subject, resting her chin in her hand. "You doin' okay? Staying out of trouble?"

"It's fine, I guess," the blond shook his shoulders loosely.

"That last English test we got was a nightmare," Sasuke added.

Naruto scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Ugh, don't even remind me."

Jiraiya chuckled at this, folding his arms across his broad chest. "Ah, I remember high school. You remember, right Tsunade?"

"How could I forget?" The woman snorted, giving him the stink-eye. "You were quite the pervert, as I recall."

"I like to think of myself as an amateur ladies' man," he defended with a mock offended look.

Naruto rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement.

"Remember Hanako?" Tsunade countered, raising a delicate blonde eyebrow. "You practically traumatized her with your little stunt at Homecoming our junior year."

Jiraiya had been taking a long sip of his soda, but he abruptly choked on it and set it down, coughing into his sleeve with bulged eyes. He hacked for a few moments before weakly pointing a finger at his friend and declaring, "Y- you can't prove that it was me who did that!"

"Oh yeah? And who else could've done it?" The woman folded her own arms across her chest. "You caused almost a thousand dollars in damage to the gym alone AND caused us to be out of school for two weeks."

"Nice," Sasuke commented. Naruto solemnly nodded in agreement.

She sent both boys an exasperated look.

"Like I said, you can't prove that it was me!" Jiraiya insisted. "What about Orochimaru?"

"He was at home sick, remember?" Tsunade countered. "What about the big stink you kicked up about it on Homecoming night? _I_ vividly remember that, as I should, 'cause I was your date."

"Hiruzen knew I couldn't have done it!"

"Hiruzen was one of the ones who really did know you did it, but just didn't say anything."

Jiraiya dramatically shook his head and chugged his soda some more. After he was done, he wiped his lips with his sleeve and sighed, "Such astounding gall. How rude. I cannot."

Sasuke turned to Naruto with an almost bewildered look on his face. "Is this how it always goes with both of them together?"

The boy just chuckled, shrugging his shoulders again. "You'd be surprised how chummy they get when they start drinking."

Right at that moment, the waitress finally came back with their sushi. She gave the group a polite smile and nodded as Tsunade thanked her. She very pointedly avoided eye-contact with Jiraiya, which made the blonde woman frown at him.

"Hey hey, no time for questioning, we should eat this before it gets cold!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"... sushi doesn't get cold," Tsunade pointed out calmly, giving him a saccharine smile that read _We are definitely talking about this later_.

* * *

Naruto exhaled, leaning back in the chair with a satisfied face. "Maaaaan, that hit the spot! We have to do this more often, Granny!"

Tsunade nodded, finishing off the last of her drink. "This was fun, wasn't it? Since Naruto chose dinner, Sasuke, you can choose dessert. Whaddya want?"

Sasuke immediately knew what he would pick. It was a shop that he and Naruto had discussed quite a lot recently, and he'd been very curious as to what it was like.

Naruto froze, turning to him with a dead stare. "You know what to do." He whispered, intensely staring.

"Let him pick, Naruto," Jiraiya chuckled.

Sasuke just shrugged, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "Uh... Delano's?"

"Sure." Tsunade shrugged.

Naruto fist-pumped, hissing a "Yessss!"

Jiraiya shook his head in amusement, and Sasuke just bowed his head, hiding a smile.

They paid and left the building. Jiraiya and Tsunade hung back a little while the boys walked ahead of them, Naruto chattering on about what desserts he wanted to try and Sasuke listening quietly.

They got to a little store with big glass windows displaying a shelf of different, sweet-looking desserts. Macarons, cheesecakes, pies, mousses - Even Sasuke's mouth was watering when they eased inside, and he didn't even care for sweet desserts.

In the end, he ended up getting a savory galette, Naruto got a cinnamon cheesecake, and Jiraiya bought both him and Tsunade a take-out cup of boozy chocolate truffles.

"Man, this is good!" Naruto held out a fork to the other boy. "C'mon, dude, you've gotta try this."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose a bit, still chewing his galette. "... no thanks."

"C'mon, please?" The blond pouted, pulling out the puppy eyes. "It's not really that sweet, I promise! You really taste the cinnamon in it."

Sasuke paused in chewing for a moment, before he swallowed, nodded, and sighed. "Sure, why not."

He took the fork and took the bite hesitantly before his eyes widened, turning his head to stare at the plate. "... Whoa..."

"Right?" Naruto echoed with a grin, gesturing with a hand. "Can I have my fork back?"

Sasuke nodded and handed it back, before looking at his own. "Do you... wanna try mine?"

"Sure!" Naruto happily took a small piece and shoved it into his mouth. He immediately made a strange expression, chewing daintily for a few seconds before swallowing. "... That tastes... really weird."

"Do you want some more?"

"No thank you," the blond plastered on a smile, shaking his head. "I think you'd get more enjoyment out of it than I would."

The teenager frowned a little, but went back to it.

Behind them, Jiraiya and Tsunade talked quietly amongst themselves, pausing once every so often to enjoy popping a truffle into their mouths.

"They get along so well," Jiraiya commented with a chuckle. "I'm jealous."

"Well, to be fair, their mothers were friends," Tsunade chimed in with a little shrug. "It's obvious that the boys would be familiar. I'm just happy that they're able to act like kids at a time like this."

The white-haired man paused, looking over in concern. "You don't actually think...?"

"We can't think anything right now," she warned, raising her eyebrows. "I know this is hurting you, but..."

He shook his head. "No, no, I know. I get it. I just... I just don't want to think that..."

Somewhere ahead of them, the boys paused, turning around. Naruto waved to them, and Sasuke's face was blank.

Tsunade sighed heavily, clapping her friend on the shoulder. "This is hurting me just as much, Jiraiya. I was his friend too. At one point... maybe more. But you know we can't be dwelling on the past right now. Right now, we have a duty."

Jiraiya simply nodded, the both of them watching as the boys hurried back to them.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to stay the night, kid?" Jiraiya questioned, giving Sasuke a grin. "We've got room for one more if you need to."

For a moment, Sasuke really considered it. Naruto was still staring at him from the backseat, his cerulean eyes glittering with hope. Tsunade was preoccupied with her phone, but the slight frown that graced her face clued him in that she was listening.

The loneliness was beginning to twist his stomach again, and he could taste the sushi and galette from earlier returning to his tongue. The weight of the dark, empty apartment sagged his shoulders more than usual, and the omnipresent fear and knowledge that she was gone made him swallow harshly.

But then, a traitorous thought came to mind: what if he missed her? What if she somehow came home while he was away? What if she would need his help?

He swallowed again, his fingers clenching softly. What to do? His best friend? Or Izumi's hopeful return? His support system? Or a soul-crushingly empty apartment?

He finally sighed. "No thank you, sir," Sasuke politely shook his head, gripping his jacket tighter around his body. "I don't want to... be away for too long, just in case."

"I understand," Jiraiya agreed with a solemn frown. "Well, it is a school night..."

"Naruto," Tsunade suddenly piped up, making the boy flinch. "Do you want to stay?"

"R- really?" Naruto immediately brightened before turning to Sasuke. "Can I?"

The boy's heart warmed a bit at the look. He shrugged. "You already know."

Naruto paused, turning back to the adults with a suspicious glare. "You aren't just asking me so you can do pervy stuff, are you?"

"What? Pssssh," Jiraiya choked, slapping the dash. Tsunade started to laugh.

His eyes narrowed further at the nervous reaction, and he sighed heavily, opening the door. "You're really gross, old man..."

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon," the white-haired man coughed between bringing his blush in check, "unless you want to stay the weekend instead."

"Can we?" Naruto asked again, turning to his friend.

Sasuke fought the urge to chuckle. "Idiot."

"I think I'll stay, then!" Naruto cheered, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Give you two more time to be gross, and all that. I'll have to pick up my stuff tomorrow, though."

"Sure, sure," Tsunade waved it off with a smile at the boy. "See you. It was nice seeing you again, kid."

Sasuke gave her a polite nod.

"See you kids tomorrow!" Jiraiya called before rolling up the window. As the car drove off, the boys waved it off until it disappeared around the corner out of sight.

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a grin. "So! What do you wanna do? Watch a movie? Check up on Sakura-chan?"

"I'm exhausted," the boy replied instead, turning to go back towards the building. "Let's just clean up and head to bed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of it. I'd appreciate the feedback!


	10. Darkness

Slowly, the front door opened. Sasuke hesitated, but took a step inside. It was slightly chilly, but the silent darkness hit him first, making his stomach twist again. He felt slightly sick as he shuffled in, taking his shoes off and stowing them in the shoe rack by the door.

Naruto seemed oblivious to this, happily coming in and kicking his own shoes off, pausing to correct them neatly on the rack. He shut the door and brushed off his sweater, smiling. "So! What's first?"

"Let's set up in my room," Sasuke replied tiredly, making his way down the hall.

He hadn't needed to use the extra bedding in a while. He paused in front of the hall closet, finding the flashlight on the second shelf and searching through. When he realized that Naruto hadn't followed him, he glanced towards him in annoyance, only to find him texting.

"Naruto," he called.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm almost- okay." He flipped his phone off and pocketed it again, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I was texting Sakura-chan. Homework, y'know? I wanted to compare notes with her tomorrow."

The boy simply shrugged. "Okay."

Together, they pulled down the extra bedding and carried it to Sasuke's door a few feet away on the opposite side.

Sasuke's cheeks pinkened a bit when he recalled the state his room was in. He mumbled, "Sorry about the mess..."

"Don't worry 'bout it, I'm worse," Naruto chuckled, scratching his neck.

Sasuke picked up the rest of his clothes and put them in his hamper while Naruto set up the bedding. The blond hummed the tune to some song under his breath while he worked, and they fell into an easy silence to combat the disquieting darkness that hung around his room.

Once they were done, Naruto flopped down onto Sasuke's bed and sighed, splaying out his arms. "Your bed is so comfy, dude."

"Watch where you lay down, you'll get my blanket dirty," the Uchiha chastised, swatting him halfheartedly. "You can have first shower. I'll get some pajamas you can borrow."

"Thanks." The blond boy nodded, getting up and stretching. Several joints popped as he yawned. He grinned tiredly and took the offered sweatpants and large tee, padding off to the bathroom.

While he waited for his turn, Sasuke busied himself at his desk, flipping up the laptop lid and browsing around. He first got a fresh Word document before going to Google Chrome and pulling up a fresh tab, typing something into the search bar.

* * *

The warm water soothed his hurting muscles and massaged his skin, and Sasuke closed his eyes, tipping his head back so that it could pelt his neck.

So many things had happened this week, it was dizzying to keep track of it all. On top of Izumi, he had Sakura and Naruto to worry about as well. Sakura was already sick with only God knows what, and Naruto... his starry-eyed best friend was better off untangled in his messy affairs. He was already on thin ice with Danzo, and if word ever got out (or, moreso, if Naruto found out), then it would be game over for him.

His eyes briefly opened, and he stared at the tiled wall. Naruto... if he ever got hurt, Sasuke would never forgive himself. He was all he had now, the only confidant he had about Izumi. Now that Sakura was sick, his friend count was down to one, yet again.

He sighed heavily, the sound echoing around the sparse bathroom under the water. He'd taken long enough, and Naruto was probably wondering where he was. He'd probably hear him knocking on the door any minute now, complaining that Sasuke needed to hurry up so he could pee.

As he finished rinsing off, a ghost of a smile spread across his face. He'd do at least one thing right. He'd keep him out of it, come hell or high water. It's the least he owed him.

He stepped out, shivering at the cool air. It was still humid and slightly warmer than usual, and he noted that the steam had fogged up the mirror, but otherwise it was the same temperature as the rest of the house. Cold enough to be mildly uncomfortable.

He toweled off, dressed, and brushed out his hair quickly as he could. He took a glance at the mirror just before opening the door, meeting his reflection. Still a mess, with baggy eyes, pale skin, and a frown.

He went back to his room, dropping off the towel in the hamper. He found Naruto sitting on his bed, preoccupied with his phone. He took a glance at it as he sat down too, musing, "Sakura again?"

"Yeah, she told me to tell you that she wishes she could make it." Naruto smiled softly. "Apparently, Sasori's gonna take her into the doctor tomorrow morning. If she's not contagious, then she'll be back to school on Monday, or something."

"Cool." The black-haired boy nodded, leaning back and folding his arms.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, Sasuke watching Naruto's messages with interest. Sakura sounded the same as she always did - with clean punctuation and full sentences. Nothing to tip someone off that something was wrong.

He looked away and reached for his own phone, checking his messages. Nothing except for a winking-tongue emoji from Sakura. He sighed quietly, plugging it back in and setting it on the nightstand. He honestly didn't know what he was thinking. Of course he'd have no new messages so late at night.

Naruto hummed aloud, catching his attention. The blond put his phone away, shrugging. "So. You tired?"

"Very," Sasuke agreed, stifling another yawn. "Should we just go to bed? It's only eleven."

"Only?" Naruto snorted. "Dude, if you're tired, let's go to bed. You're the smart one."

He barely cracked a smile and slid off the bed, stretching for a moment before exiting the room. Naruto was right behind him, watching as he checked the rooms and locked the front door. Once he was satisfied in his search, he went to the fridge and gestured. "You want a water?"

"Sure."

He picked out two bottles and tossed one to the blond, who caught it seamlessly. The two went back to Sasuke's bedroom and sat down on their respective bedding. Naruto sat down his bottle on Sasuke's chair, and Sasuke set his down on his nightstand before turning off the lamp.

"Good night," Naruto called.

"... Good night," Sasuke softly returned as he lay down.

He heard shuffling from below for a few seconds as Naruto got comfortable. Once he heard the boy sigh, he nestled into his own pillow. His eyelids fluttered for a few moments before they shut completely, and within a few minutes, he was asleep.

* * *

_Black._

_The darkness spread out as far as he could tell, thick and heavy, and he swallowed hard. He looked around, but he could see nothing. Where was this?_

_Tentatively, he took a step. He could feel a firm ground underneath his feet, but not much of anything else. No texture, no give, no nothing._

_"... Hello?" He called. His voice echoed across the space, ringing almost endlessly in all directions._

_He received no answer, although he didn't expect to. He simply sighed and tried to walk again. His legs felt as if they were tied down with lead weights, and walking felt like wading through a pool._

_He still didn't know where he was, and it scared him. Was he the only one here? Would he be alone here forever...?_

_Suddenly, he heard it. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he immediately froze, head turning in the echoing voice's direction. "-...!"_

_"Hello?" He tried again._

_"-e...!"_

_"Where are you? Where are you?" He yelled, turning his whole body to find the voice. He craned his neck, but still he could see nothing. The blackness felt a bit thinner now, as breathing was easier than before._

_"-suke...!"_

_His heart leapt into his throat. "Izumi?!"_

_"Sasuke! Sasuke!"_

_"Izumi!" He shouted, trying with all his might to move his legs. He ran in slow motion towards her voice. The darkness thinned with every heavy step until he felt as if his lungs were full to bursting with oxygen. He panted, forcing his body to keep going. "Where are you?! I'm coming your way!"_

_"Sasuke!" Her voice seemed panicked, and if he blinked, he could swear he could begin to see his hands in front of his face. "Where are you, Sasuke?"_

_"I'm here! I'm here!" He hollered back, waving his arms. He was beginning to see the skin of his hands, this was good!_

_As he blinked, he could see a faint outline of a woman come into view. Long hair draping down her back, hands clasped tightly in one another, as if in prayer. With every step, the darkness lifted, and he began to see her face, her beautiful face, tight with worry._

_"Sasuke!" She cried again, reaching out for him._

_"Izumi!" He repeated, stretching out one arm towards her. "Stay there, I'm coming!"_

_But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach her. She remained far away, only just visible through the black. Her eyes never left his shaking form, her face never changed, her arm never neared._

_"Izu... mi!" Sasuke panted, exhaustion suddenly catching up to his body like a train. He struggled to keep his pace. "Please, please wait...!"_

_"Come here," she uttered, tears filling her eyes._

_He suddenly stumbled over something and fell hard to the ground, the air leaving his lungs in a strangled wheeze. His head whipped up to look for Izumi, and she was still standing away, her arm outstretched._

_As he watched, she suddenly began to panic, looking about as her hands clasped together again._

_"Sasuke! Sasuke, where are you?" She shouted, tears dribbling down her cheeks._

_"I'm... here-" he gasped for breath, the darkness suddenly plunging down onto his back and weighing him there, "I'm- here...!"_

_Just when he thought she heard him, she turned, her back shaking from her quiet sobs. An arm stretched out from further into the darkness, and she took its hand, sniffling._

_"Come," his brother's soothing voice made him snap up to attention again. "He must have gotten lost again."_

_"Wouldn't be the first time," she giggled weakly. She wiped her eyes and glanced back, her eyes seeing nothing._

_"Izumi, wait!" Sasuke tried to shout, but the words caught awkwardly in his throat and only came out as a whisper. "Please, wait! Take me with you, don't leave me! I'm here! I'm right here!"_

_Together, they disappeared further into the black. Sasuke's eyes were full of desperate tears as he tried his best to shout. His throat was getting more and more pained, and talking became impossible._

_"Izumi, I'm here!" He cried quietly, struggling to lift his arm again. "Don't leave me! I'm- still here-!"_

* * *

Sasuke awoke with a sharp gasp, lifting his head off the pillow. His face prickled a little in the cool air, and he slowly realized that he'd been crying.

Taking deep gulping breaths, he wiped at his eyes the best he could and looked around. Although his curtains were drawn, small rays of light peeked through the empty spaces around them, slightly illuminating the room.

Naruto shifted a little in his bed, mumbling in his sleep. Sasuke could cry in relief at the sight of his best friend, but he held his tongue and carefully pulled one curtain back.

The sky was still dark, but he could see a faint watery blue painting the horizon. Drab dark-gray clouds still hovered above, hinting at rain.

He slowly let go of the curtain and took a deep breath. He looked over at the alarm clock, the bright red numbers reading 5:06 AM.

He shivered a little when his blankets shifted and the morning air brushed at his exposed arm. After that nightmare, there was no way in hell that he was getting back to sleep. He shook his head, pulling off the blankets and swinging his legs over the side. He carefully side-stepped Naruto and silently left the room, gently shutting the door on his way.

He decided to have a cup of tea this morning. Bitterly, he recalled that Izumi often made tea for him whenever he came to her after a nightmare. He went to the kitchen, poked around in one of the cabinets, and found the exact box that she always used.

He took a bag and brought out the kettle, filling it with water and setting it on the stove. While he waited for the water to boil, he found his favorite mug, one that Izumi had gotten him at a Fall-Out Boy concert a few years ago. The names signed on one side of the mug tugged at his heart, and he gave a wistful smile.

Soon enough, the kettle began whistling, so he took it off and poured it in. He set it on the table to steep while he rummaged around for some breakfast. Naruto would surely be waking up soon if he heard him around the kitchen, and the boy was going to be hungry.

Sasuke found some leftovers from Wednesday night and sighed heavily, taking some out of the Tupperware and spooning it into a bowl. He saved the majority for Naruto.

He tried not to make too much noise when he put the bowl in the microwave and turned it on. Every loud beep made him cringe, and he hastily shushed it when he pressed the start button.

He massaged his forehead as he walked back to the kitchen table. He stirred the tea before fishing out the bag and setting it aside. Blowing gently on it, he took a sip. It was hot, but still good. The bitter undertones complimented the flowery sweetness perfectly.

He set the cup down and went back for the microwave, stopping it with only a second left. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the bowl, careful not to burn his fingers on the bottom. He set it down on the table, pulled out a fork from the drawer, and sat down, stirring it slowly. He blew on it and carefully put a bite into his mouth, chewing. It was still good, although nothing beat a fresh-cooked bowl.

As he sat there eating, he heard Naruto getting up in his room. He waited until he heard the door open before looking up.

Naruto came lumbering in, blinking blearily and scratching his stomach.

"Hey, g'morning," he rumbled, voice still husky with sleep.

"Morning," Sasuke politely returned. He gestured to the counter, "I saved some leftovers for you."

"Thanks." Naruto smiled sleepily and headed past him into the kitchen, busying himself with getting a bowl of food.

His presence seemed to fill the whole room, from his large yawn to his mumbling, and Sasuke began to feel grateful for letting him stay over. He honestly didn't know what he would've done had he not been here, after that nightmare.

He smiled to himself as Naruto grabbed the milk and poured himself a glass. He drank from it as he approached the table, before he set it down and seated himself shortly after. His hair was still messy and his shirt still rumpled.

"We didn't have a test today, did we...?" Naruto mumbled, turning his tired gaze to his friend.

Sasuke paused to think. Then he replied, "... No, I don't believe so? I dunno if Mr. Sarutobi is gonna do that quiz today. Remember, he said he'd give us an extra day to study?"

"Oh, right, right," the blond nodded. The microwave beeping interrupted them, and he got up with a grunt. "'Scuse me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you thought of it! I had this short burst of inspiration that I didn't expect, but I guess it's all worth it if I get to write a Sasuke/Naruto friendship. These babies deserve happiness!


End file.
